Fukushima's Toxic Radiation Floods the Pacific

[Dreambirdie]

Very scary to see how much radiation that nuclear disaster at Fukushima, which is the biggest nuclear disaster in human history, has dumped into the ocean.

Considering the fact that the half-life of plutonium-239 is approximately 24,000 years, perhaps we should all be taking this crisis a little more seriously. I feel for the whales and the dolphins, and the polar bears, who are already so stressed from global warming.

I would like to see ALL the nuclear plants on earth shut down immediately.

 

[*GG*]

How do dolphins suffer from global warming? I have heard the story for polar bears, and I heard that is not a "real" study or something to that effect, and that the polar bear populations are actually increasing, so not sure if that is true how much we should really worry?

Also, yeah all that radiation pollution looks really bad, but what can we do about that now? Since it is done and cannot be undone, correct?

GG

 

[HowToEscape?]

Radiation exposure outside Japan from Fukushima is small enough that sophisticated instruments are required to pick it out.
You'll get vastly more radiation (many thousandsx) from one airplane flight. Hang out in Central Park on a granite outcrop and it will irradiate you to a greater degree than Fukushima at this distance.

It was quite the industrial disaster in Fukushima. At this distance it's meaningless.

 

[SilverbladeTE]

Peopel get radiation...mixed up, sort of

Many of the isotopes released wil decay very quickly
However, over very long periods of time, things like Uranium released can cause a great loss of life, but most of it will get locked into sediments
talking hudnreds of thousands of years increasing caccer etc
in high concentrations, ie what you coudl see with the naked eye, it's also toxic as hell

however, dispersed over the vast volume of the ocean it's nothing to worry about per se, only in a localized area are concetrations high enough to be deadly (and at medium term)
what IS a worry is the vast amount of crap the tsunami washed into the ocean from towns etc, which will cuase a lot more harm, as the volume is enormous, billions of tons of debris, chemicals etc



Global Warming = thinning of Northern ice (which IS happening and cannot be denied), so more polar bears etc have to come closer ot Humans ot avoid drowning/lack of food (they can swim very long distances by the way for such a large land mammal)

 

[xchocoholic]

Not to change the topic, but can we eat wakame, etc from japan ? Thanks .. X

 

[Dreambirdie]

I think I'll pass on the seaweed from now on. I hope they start growing it in tanks.

 

[xchocoholic]

I'm still buying maine dulse but can't bring myself to buy the wakame and I love it straight from the bag .. the maine dulse should be ok, right ? I could get it off my beach anyday, but that really seems gross.