The radiation in California Coast from Japan is currently making a huge buzz online after oceanographers found out that certain isotopes from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant have penetrated the waters in California's Coast, reports Bloomberg.
The Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution noted on its official website that upon sampling and testing some specimens from the west of Eureka, California, they found traces of isotope cesium - 134 that are believed to be at levels far below those that could be detrimental to human health.
Now the only possible source of the radiation in California coast is Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant that was recorded to have released "unprecedented levels" of radioactivity on March 2011 amid the devastating earthquake.
Woods Hole oceanographer Ken Buesseler maintained that the 2011 incident in Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant is the only conceivable source of the trace isotope.
"We don't know exactly when the Fukushima isotopes will be detectable closer to shore because the mixing of offshore surface waters and coastal waters is hard to predict," Buesseler added. "We stand to learn more from samples taken this winter when there is generally less upwelling."
In contrast, Oregon State University researchers said that they did not find any traces of radiation in the samples they collected along the Pacific Northwest coast, RT.com has learned.
It can be noted that at the time of the incident, explosions caused three reactors to suffer meltdowns, which rapidly spread a burst of radioactivity into the atmosphere.
It was also documented that water used in cooling down overheating fuel rods in the plant leaked into the ocean weeks after the incident, and because of this contaminated groundwater paved the way to the presence of low levels of radiation in the ocean.
So far the presence of Cesium-134 in from the waters of Alaska to California confirms the idea that the isotope traveled across the Pacific to the coast of Canada, according to CNBC.
International Health Agencies said the radiation in California Coast from Japan was "far below where one might expect any measurable risk to human health or marine life."
Woods Hole even claimed that the radioactivity detected was 1,000 times lower than acceptable range in drinking water, as per the guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Meanwhile, the Japanese nuclear plant's operator, Tepco, addressed the recurring issue, saying that they have since improved water management at the site since the 2011 incident. Nevertheless, the plant has since been decommissioned.
As of late, oceanographers advise the respective authorities to keep watch of the radiation levels in the ocean
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
