#Radioactive Plankton 3 km off the Coast of Fukushima

Bio-concentration hard at work. NHK News Japanese reports that a high level of radioactive cesium has been detected from plankton in the ocean off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture.

The news only mentions, as usual, cesium-134 and cesium-137. If the researchers did test for other nuclides like strontium and plutonium, NHK is not saying anything. If they didn't, why didn't they?

NHK News (4:54AM JST 10/15/2011):

ことし７月に福島県いわき市の沿岸で採取したプランクトンから、放射性セシウムが高い濃度で検出され、調査を行った東京海洋大学の研究グループは、食物連鎖によって、今後、スズキなど大型の魚で影響が本格化するおそれがあると指摘しています。

Radioactive cesium in high density has been detected from plankton collected off the coast of Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture in July. The marine survey was done by a research group at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. The group points out that the radiation effect may soon become apparent in big fish like sea bass by way of food chain.

東京海洋大学の研究グループは、東京電力福島第一原子力発電所から流れ出た放射性物質の影響を調べるため、ことし７月、いわき市の沿岸から沖合およそ６０キロまでを調査船で航海し、プランクトンなどを採取しました。

In July, the research group at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology on board a survey ship surveyed the ocean from the coast of Iwaki City out to about 60 kilometers off the coast and collected plankton in order to study the effect of radioactive materials on marine life.

このうち、沿岸３キロ付近で採取した動物性プランクトンを分析した結果、放射性セシウムが１キログラム当たり６６９ベクレルの高い濃度で検出されました。半減期が２年のセシウム１３４が含まれることから、原発から流れ出た放射性物質がプランクトンに蓄積したものとみられています。

The analysis of zooplankton collected 3 kilometers off the coast revealed the high density of radioactive cesium at 669 becquerels/kg. It includes cesium-134 whose half life is 2 years, indicating the radioactive materials from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant being concentrated in plankton.

動物性プランクトンは、さまざまな魚の餌になることから、研究グループでは、食物連鎖によって放射性物質の蓄積が進み、今後、スズキなど大型の魚で影響が本格化するおそれがあると指摘しています。

Zooplankton become food for various kinds of fish. The research group points out that by way of food chain radioactive materials may concentrate, and start to seriously affect large-size fish like sea bass.

研究グループのリーダーを務める石丸隆教授は「この海域では南向きの海流の影響で、原発から高い濃度の汚染水が継続して流れ込んだためにプランクトンの濃度が高くなったとみられる。魚への影響がいつごろまで続くのかさらに詳しく調べる必要がある」と話しています。

The leader of the group, Professor Takashi Ishimaru, says, "Due to the southerly ocean current, the highly contaminated water from the nuke plant continuously flowed into this area of the ocean, raising the radioactive material density in plankton. We need to further study how long the effect of radiation on fish will continue."

Well, according to Japan's Fisheries Agency, bio-concentration and accumulation were not supposed to happen, as they made it abundantly clear when the Japanese government sanctioned the release of "low" contamination water from the nuke plant. Well they did.

Not only they did happen, but clearly at an accelerated pace. Bigger fish have already been found with surprisingly high levels of radioactive cesium. The ocean contamination is probably of much bigger scale and the degree of contamination much more serious than the Japanese government has dared to admit so far.

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