Three years after the event, is it possible Vancouver Island is about to be inundated with radiation from the Fukushima power station in Japan? The blogosphere certainly thinks so.
Alarming headlines are popping up all across the web: 鈥�28 signs that the West Coast is being absolutely fried鈥�; 鈥淗oly Fukushima 鈥� radiation from Japan is already killing N. Americans鈥�; 鈥淲est Coast radiation 500% normal鈥�; and so on.
There are worrying stories of sea-lion deaths along the California coastline, fish bleeding from the gills and polar bears in Alaska with open sores. Supposedly, radiation is to blame.
And it appears this anxiety is having an effect. Natural-food stores on Vancouver Island report brisk sales of potassium iodide. The chemical protects against radioactive iodine, a fission product released by the Fukushima breach. One shop in Qualicum Beach sold out its five-year supply in 24 hours.
And sushi counters are reporting a drop in sales, apparently because patrons fear migratory fish could be contaminated.
We鈥檒l get to the science in a moment. But there is one incontrovertible fact driving these fears.
When four of the nuclear reactors at Fukushima were damaged by a tsunami in March 2011, radioactive water spilled into the ocean, and continues to do so at a reduced rate. Deep-sea currents in the Pacific rotate in such a way that contaminants released into the ocean off Japan eventually arrive here.
So yes, there is a mechanism to bring some of this water to our shores. How much radiation will it be?
The answer is, according to government agencies and marine scientists around the globe, virtually none.
The International Atomic Energy Agency monitors waters around Fukushima and out to sea. Between two and 20 kilometres from shore, radiation readings have returned to levels basically indistinguishable from those before the accident.
Specifically, the concentration of cesium-137, the most dangerous fission product, is approximately one per cent of the permissible limit for drinking water. And that鈥檚 in the immediate neighbourhood of the plant.
sa国际传媒鈥檚 coast is approximately 7,500 kilometres from Japan. By the time any surviving radiation reaches Vancouver Island, concentrations will have fallen to minute levels. There is no threat here to anyone鈥檚 health or safety.
Nor is there any value in potassium iodide (it鈥檚 harmful in prolonged use). Radioactive iodine has a half-life of eight days. After three years, there is none left.
What about fish? An industry study in sa国际传媒 examined tuna caught in local waters between 2011 and 2013. These fish are of special interest because they migrate. The study found no residual radiation in any of the tuna.
Studies of this kind can be problematic, because a conflict of interest may arise. But in this case, the sa国际传媒 Centre for Disease Control reviewed the data and endorsed the findings without reservation.
It is conceivable that non-migratory fish caught in Japanese waters could have low concentrations of radiation. Consumers worried about this might choose to buy local species for the time being.
So what about those sea-lion deaths? Malnutrition was to blame. Fish bleeding from the gills? The suspected cause is a virus that produces hemorrhaging in seabirds. No one knows why some polar bears have open sores, but the answer isn鈥檛 increased radiation, because nothing of consequence has been detected.
There is one legitimate area of concern, however. The Canadian federal agencies that monitor radiation are doing a poor job keeping us clued in.
Maybe this isn鈥檛 an issue on political radar screens in Ottawa. But it does resonate on the West Coast. The minister of health should sit down with the minister responsible for fisheries and oceans and put the public鈥檚 mind at rest.
