Marine Life At Risk From Radiation In Japan (UPDATE)

[jpak]

http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/04/13/marine-life-at-risk-from-radiation-in-japan-update/36798/

If radioactive material from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant—disabled by the March11 Japan earthquake and tsunami—continues to enter the ocean, marine life could be threatened, experts say.

In the past week, seawater samples taken near the nuclear power plant, on Japan’s eastern coast, have shown elevated levels of radioactive isotopes, including cesium 137 and iodine 131, according to the New York Times.

All life on Earth and in the oceans lives with exposure to natural levels of ionizing radiation—high-frequency radiation with enough energy to change DNA. Most such genetic damage heals, but the addition of human-made radiation can make it harder for the body to repair broken genes.

Radiation concentrations in the Japanese seawater samples have fluctuated in past days, but on Wednesday the amount of iodine spiked to 3,355 times the legal limit for seawater, Japanese nuclear safety officials told the Associated Press.

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[Teaser]

1. Godzilla is kinda the best case scenario

.

[madokie]

2. I wonder how much they cut that number before they reported it?

Knowing full well they probably did. after all this is the nuclear industry they're reporting on. An industry that would rather than tell a lie even when the truth sounds better.