information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
7 Avril 2015
April 7, 2015
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201504070065
REUTERS
PORTLAND, Oregon--Radiation from Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster has for the first time been detected along a North American shoreline, though at levels too low to pose a significant threat to human or marine life, scientists said April 6.
Trace amounts of Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 were detected in samples collected Feb. 19 off the coast of Ucluelet, a small town on Vancouver Island in Canada's British Columbia, said Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientist Ken Buesseler.
"Radioactivity can be dangerous, and we should be carefully monitoring the oceans after what is certainly the largest accidental release of radioactive contaminants to the oceans in history," Buesseler said in a statement.
The levels the group detected are extremely low. For example, swimming in the Vancouver Island water every day for a year would provide a dose of radiation less than a thousand times smaller than a single dental X-ray, Woods Hole said.
In March 2011, an earthquake and tsunami struck the Fukushima nuclear plant, 209 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, sparking a triple nuclear meltdown, forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee from nearby towns, and contaminating water, food and air. It was the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
Buesseler said he expects similar low cesium levels to gradually reach other North American shores, possibly extending along the U.S. West Coast from Washington state to California.
"Predicting the spread of radiation becomes more complex the closer it gets to the coast," Buesseler said.
In November 2014, Woods Hole reported detectable radiation from Fukushima about 160 km off the coast of northern California, but no radiation has yet been detected any closer to U.S. shores.
Tests off the coast of Japan shortly after the 2011 disaster measured radiation at 50 million becquerels per cubic meter, Buesseler said. A becquerel is a unit of radioactivity.
The Canadian water sample contained 1.4 becquerels per cubic meter of Cesium-134 and 5.8 becquerels per cubic meter of Cesium-137.
Reuters
PORTLAND, OREGON – Radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster that started in 2011 has for the first time been detected along a North American shoreline, though at levels too low to pose a significant threat to human or marine life, scientists said on Monday.
Trace amounts of Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 were detected in samples collected on Feb. 19 off the coast of Ucluelet, a small town on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, said Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientist Ken Buesseler.
“Radioactivity can be dangerous, and we should be carefully monitoring the oceans after what is certainly the largest accidental release of radioactive contaminants to the oceans in history,” Buesseler said in a statement.
The levels the group detected are extremely low. For example, swimming in the Vancouver Island water every day for a year would provide a dose of radiation less than a thousand times smaller than a single dental X-ray, Woods Hole said.
In March 2011, an earthquake and tsunami struck the Fukushima nuclear plant, 130 miles (209 km) northeast of Tokyo, sparking triple nuclear meltdowns, forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee from nearby towns, and contaminating water, food and air. It was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
Buesseler said he expects similar low cesium levels to gradually reach other North American shores, possibly extending along the U.S. West Coast from Washington state to California.
“Predicting the spread of radiation becomes more complex the closer it gets to the coast,” Buesseler said.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said its conclusions were drawn from research it collected from community groups and a network of local academics and aquariums to collect water samples and fund radiation testing.
Last November, Woods Hole reported detectable radiation from Fukushima about 100 miles (161 km) off the coast of Northern California, but no radiation has yet been detected any closer to U.S. shores.
Tests off the coast of Japan shortly after the 2011 disaster measured radiation at 50 million Becquerels per cubic meter, Buesseler told Reuters. A Becquerel is a unit of radioactivity.
The Canadian water sample contained 1.4 Becquerels per cubic meter of Cesium-134 and 5.8 Becquerels per cubic meter of Cesium-137.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150407_16.html
Apr. 7, 2015 - Updated 05:23 UTC+2
US researchers say small and harmless amounts of radioactivity from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident have been detected on the west coast of Canada.
The scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announced on Monday that samples of seawater collected from the shoreline of Ucluelet, British Columbia, in February contained trace amounts of cesium-134.
They say Fukushima would have to be the source of the radioactive cesium, as it is the only place recently where the material was produced and the substance has a 2-year half-life.
Cesium-134 has been detected in waters off the United States and Canada, but this is the first time it has been detected along a shore.
The scientists say the sample in Ucluelet contained 1.4 Becquerels per cubic meter, well below the internationally set level at which human and marine life can be affected.
They say the levels were extremely low but they will continue to carefully monitor the situation, as more sites in the region are expected to show detectable levels of cesium-134 in coming months.
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