Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Fukushima Wildlife


Relatively little research has been conducted on animal life in Japan and its coastal waters after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster but anomalies have already been identified.

One study found a marked decline in bird abundance in Fukushima.[i]

Spiders, grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies, bumblebees and cicadas also suffered population declines since the accident.[ii]

Another study found cesium contamination in Japanese macaques, ranging across time from a high of 25,000 Becquerels per kilogram in 2011 to 2,000 in 2012.[iii]

Yet another study published in 2015 found chromosomal malformations in wild mice caught in Fukushima Prefecture, with young mice more adversely impacted than older mice.[iv]

Research conducted by Japan’s National Institute of Radiological Sciences on fir trees near the Fukushima Daiichi plant found significant increases in morphological defects corresponding to radiation exposure doses.[v]

Taken together, these studies point to increased biological risks for flora and fauna living in radiation contaminated zones.

REFERENCES

[i] A. Moller, A. Hagiwara, S. Matsui, S. Kasahara, K. Kawatsu, I. Nishiumi, H. Suzuki, K. Ueda, T. and A. Mousseau (2012) ‘Abundance of Birds in Fukushima as Judged from Chernobyl’, Environmental Pollution, 164, 36–39.

[ii] A. Moller, I. Nishiumi, H. Suzuki, K. Ueda, T. A. Mousseau (2013) ‘Differences in Effects of Radiation of Animals in Fukushima and Chernobyl’, Ecological Indicators, 24, 75–81.

[iii] S. Kimura and A. Hatano (4 October 2012) ‘Scientists in Groundbreaking Study on Effects of Radiation in Fukushima’, The Asahi Shimbun, http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201210040003, date accessed 6 October 2012.

[iv] Yoshihisa Kubota, Hideo Tsuji, Taiki Kawagoshi, Naoko Shiomi, Hiroyuki Takahashi, Yoshito Watanabe, Shoichi Fuma, Kazutaka Doi, Isao Kawaguchi, Masanari Aoki, Masahide Kubota, Yoshiaki Furuhata, Yusaku Shigemura, Masahiko Mizoguchi, Fumio Yamada, Morihiko Tomozawa, Shinsuke H. Sakamoto, and Satoshi Yoshida Chromosomal Aberrations in Wild Mice Captured in Areas Differentially Contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2015, 49 (16), pp 10074–10083. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b01554.

[v] Watanabe, Yoshito, San’ei Ichikawa, Masahide Kubota, Junko Hoshino, Yoshihisa Kubota, Kouichi Maruyama, Shoichi Fuma, Isao Kawaguchi, Vasyl Yoschenko, Satoshi Yoshida, “Morphological defects in native Japanese fir trees around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,” Scientific Reports 5.13232 (2015): doi:10.1038/srep13232.

Fukushima Daiichi Jan 24 22:59





11 comments:

  1. My conclusion is that at this time little or nothing can be done to mitigate the Fukushima situation which is probably why it is not news. Meanwhile Japan would just as soon keep it out of the news and go on as if it had not happened. Perhaps some scientific discovery will come along that will help. But it is likely to just keep going as it is now or worse for an indefinite period of time. It would be wise to figure out what people can do to prevent radiation related health problems or to treat them. A lot was learned from Chernobyl but this information is somewhat hard to come by.

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  2. Radiation is like Radical Muslim Terrorist.

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  3. There is definitely a connection between affluence and environmentalism. The more affluent the nation the more likely they are to take a serious interest in the environment. China where the basics are in short supply is not going to worry about endangered species or the effects of pollution on life forms. Should Islam gain power in Europe which seems likely then the environment will suffer among other things. There is nothing in their culture or religion that makes the environment that important. Dogs as well may find human society less friendly. In the West some of the main promoters of ecological sensitivity happen to be wealthy celebrities. For some reason the Left is now joining with the Islamists. At the woman's march there were placards supportive of Islam despite its terrible record with women's rights. In any case there is a complex interconnection now going on between the environmentalists, the left, and the new administration and its attack on regulations. While Japan is affluent Japan has other kinds of reasons for hiding the truth about Fukushima.

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  4. from anonymous jen
    Premier xi of China just called for all nuclear weapons in the world to be gotten rid of. Radiation is far worse than terrorists and terrorist can use it. Only a Rufus like William would compare radiation to Isis. Ideological psps like William would not allow free speech in us and would allow only their ideology to exist.
    One in five corporate ceos is a psychopath. They take out life insurance policies on employees and make sure they will die. They build nuclear vessels of mass destruction otherwise known as nuclear reactors all over the earth. They leave huge areas and mounds of nuclear waste around the earth destroying people multi generationally. Today trump signed an executive order on the standing rock pipeline not giving a darned about the people there. Trump will begin making sure people do not have jobs in the worst economy ever. Trump totally lied about cleaning up the swamp. He is using the worst wall street crooks to further rape america. He wants to make sure people with prior conditions have no access to health care he lied like a stiff board again and again. He hired a gigolo to run the department of energy who does not care how or where high level nuclear waste area are built. Trump is showing strong signs of corporate psychopathy. His neonazi and racist followers already were psychopaths. Most of his followers see a lot of people as disposable “ideology makes psychopaths of us all.” That is to the true believer under the banner of Mother Church during the Holy Inquisition, “normal” – non-psychopathic men, suspend their empathy and are able to commit the most callus and heartless acts of cruelty and murder on command.

    The combination of psychopaths in positions of power and control, and the pathologic suspension of empathy that ideology fosters in “normal” people, have left a history of carnage in and by the US is hard to believe.

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  5. " He wants to make sure people with prior conditions have no access to health care he lied like a stiff board again and again." Can you document this or are you speculating? What is the source for Rick Perry being a gigolo or are you using that term just as a pejorative and some other would have worked as well?
    "His neonazi and racist followers already were psychopaths. Most of his followers see a lot of people as disposable “ideology makes psychopaths of us all.”" This of course is pure speculation as it would require a great deal of work and lots of time to verify this claim. So again you are derogating Trump supporters with hyperbole. The problem is that you present it as cold hard Facts when they are simply imaginings until proven through probably years of research. Isn't this simply an expression in miniature of yellow journalism? How do you spreading material like this avoid falling under your claim of psychopathy? Aren't you trying to stir people up--possibly to acts of violence? How do you avoid becoming the Enemy? As you well put it “ideology makes psychopaths of us all.”

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    Replies
    1. Its is a crime. Two hundred species a day going extinct. The extinction rate has accelerated in the 21st century. Countries like Belarus, Ukraine, and Japan are showing us that area with high burdens of radionuclide pollution have acceleted declines in life support viability

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  6. 12,800 years ago approximately the earth was struck by fragments from a giant comet. The iced areas of North America melted and the rest went up in flames. One result was the temperature dropped significantly, and the large animals of North America disappeared. 1200 years later another fragment hit but this time in the sea , and the temperature went up due to the water vapor in the atmosphere. Earth history is full of catastrophes--super volcanoes have done enormous destructi0n to the environment. Human beings are part of the environment as are comets and volcanoes. So given the planet's habits which are often violent radiation may be our role in this ancient activity. Some might say humans have free will--do we? I think we are in that time space between a car going off a bridge but before it has plunged down into the ravine. Too late to drive slower. I see no really dedicated anti nuclear movement nor for that matter even an anti war movement. Hillary wanted to flatten Iran and place a no fly zone in Syria.

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  7. Willi is a nihilist and has Hillary on the brain. Doesn't know shit about science. Just call Hillary up on a date willy. She might go out with ya

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    Replies
    1. “Facts are better than dreams.”
      --Winston Churchill

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  8. Hi Majia - your blog article was posted on Scoop.it http://www.scoop.it/t/fukushima-by-ton-kraanen.

    Thank you for all you do.
    califnative

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  9. Ya thanks. Too bad there is a hardcore political troll here. Bannon liberally seeded the internet with illgotten PAC money for such types.

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