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Effects of Fukushima

In: English and Literature

Submitted By luvbuglexi
Words 793
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Effects of Fukushima On March 11, 201 the 9.0 magnitude Tohoku earthquake triggered a tsunami off the coast of Japan. This tsunami caused the failure of 3 nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi I plant, one of the biggest power plants in the world. Since the incident, 400 tons of radioactive water has been dumping daily into the ocean, contaminating sea life as well as the atmosphere.
As of 2013 at least 42 commercial fish species from around the area where the spill happened have been deemed contaminated and unsafe for consumption, with large meaty fish such as tuna and salmon being amongst the biggest carriers of radiation. Japan has stopped the export of all possibly contaminated goods and the FDA is also monitoring products that are entering the United States for possible radiation. The danger does not end there however; the radioactive element called cesium has been recorded in fish and crustaceans as far as the California Pacific Coast. It was projected that “the debris plume likely will reach […] California beaches and the beaches of British Columbia, Alaska, and Baja California within three years” (Eugene, Upton 2014) of the incident. Not surprisingly, three years later the state of the Pacific Ocean is of much more concern to both consumers and fishermen, as more and more fish that are caught off the Pacific Coast in the United States are turning up radioactive.
Consequently, this contamination of radioactive materials is also affecting the atmosphere, as cesium can be found in rain water as well. This means it is likely the United States food supply has also been affected. On April 11, 2011, The California Department of Public Health took samples of vegetation from the Cal Poly Dairy Farm in San Luis Obispo to be tested for Fukushima Daiichi radiation. These samples, however, were not tested until January 6, 2012, yet high levels of both

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