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In reply to the discussion: 50 Reasons We Should Fear the Worst from Fukushima [View all]RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Very little natural plutonium exists on this planet.
Here is a report and link to more info about plutonium found by the DoE.
In this report from the DOEnergy, US government, it is described why they test for radioisotopes, where they test, when they test and some test findings. Note the bolded listing for plutonium found in the mussels that were tested. This finding confirms the idea that plutonium can be passed up the food chain to the starfish.
Department of Energy: Biological Monitoring at Amchitka Appears to Show Impacts from Fukushima Dai-ichi Incident The U.S. Department of Energy Office Legacy Management (LM) has a long-term stewardship mission to protect human health and the environment from the legacy of underground nuclear testing conducted at Amchitka Island, Alaska, from 1965 to 1971. Atmospheric monitoring in the United States showed elevated cesium activities shortly after the nuclear incident. LM scientists anticipated that atmospheric transport of cesium would potentially increase the cesium activities in the 2011 biological samples collected near Amchitka. Because cesium-134 has a relatively short half-life of 2 years and indicates leakage from a nuclear reactor, it is a clear indicator of a recent nuclear accident Because the Amchitka 2011 sampling event occurred soon after the Fukushima nuclear accident, the biota impacted by atmospheric precipitation showed the greatest impact (e.g., species that live in freshwater or shallow ocean waters) when compared to marine biota living in deeper water. This is because ocean currents are a slower transport process than wind currents. LM scientists anticipate that the marine biota will show the impacts of Fukushima during the next sampling event, currently scheduled to occur in 2016.
Table 10. Descriptive Statistics for 234U 28 times Min Detectable Concentrations
* Plutonium-239 .039 pCi/kg Dolly Varden
* Plutonium-239 .186 pCi/kg Goose Egg no shell
* Plutonium-239 .104 pCi/kg Gull egg
* Plutonium-239 .298 pCi/kg Chiton
* Plutonium-239 .093 pCi/kg Dragon Kelp
* Plutonium-239 .084 pCi/kg Rockweed
* Plutonium-239 .379 pCi/kg Greeling
* Plutonium-239 .038 pCi/kg Halibut
* Plutonium-239 4.194 pCi/kg Horse Mussel tissue
* Plutonium-239 .378 pCi/kg Irish Lord
* Plutonium-239 .036 pCi/kg Octopus
* Plutonium-239 .05 pCi/kg Pacific Cod
* Plutonium-239 .279 pCi/kg Rockfish
* Plutonium-239 .152 pCi/kg Reindeer Lichen
* Plutonium-239 .195 pCi/kg Sea Urchin
US Govt: Alaska island appears to show impacts from Fukushima Significant cesium isotope signature detected Scientists anticipate more marine life to be impacted as ocean plume arrives
http://enenews.com/us-govt-headline-alaska-island-appears-to-show-impacts-from-fukushima-significant-cesium-isotope-signature-detected-video
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