The nuclear disaster has contaminated the world’s largest ocean in only five years and it’s still leaking 300 tons of radioactive waste every day.
Credit – NOAA
What was the most dangerous nuclear disaster in world history? Most people would say the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, but they’d be wrong. In 2011, an earthquake, believed to be an aftershock of the 2010 earthquake in Chile, created a tsunami that caused a meltdown at the TEPCO nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. Three nuclear reactors melted down and what happened next was the largest release of radiation into the water in the history of the world. Over the next three months, radioactive chemicals, some in even greater quantities than Chernobyl, leaked into the Pacific Ocean. However, the numbers may actually be much higher as Japanese official estimates have been proven by several scientists to be flawed in recent years.
Radioactive Debris from Fukushima approaching North America’s western coast Credit – RT
If that weren’t bad enough, Fukushima continues to leak an astounding 300 tons of radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean every day. It will continue do so indefinitely as the source of the leak cannot be sealed as it is inaccessible to both humans and robots due to extremely high temperatures.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Fukushima has contaminated the entire Pacific Ocean in just five years. This could easily be the worst environmental disaster in human history and it is almost never talked about by politicians, establishment scientists, or the news. It is interesting to note that TEPCO is a subsidiary of General Electric (also known as GE), one of the largest companies in the world, which has considerable control over numerous news corporations and politicians alike. Could this possibly explain the lack of news coverage Fukushima has received in the last five years? There is also evidence that GE knew about the poor condition of the Fukushima reactors for decades and did nothing. This led 1,400 Japanese citizens to sue GE for their role in the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Even if we can’t see the radiation itself, some parts of North America’s western coast have been feeling the effects for years. Not long after Fukushima, fish in Canada began bleeding from their gills, mouths, and eyeballs. This “disease” has been ignored by the government and has decimated native fish populations, including the North Pacific herring. Elsewhere in Western Canada, independent scientists have measured a 300% increase in the level of radiation. According to them, the amount of radiation in the Pacific Ocean is increasing every year. Why is this being ignored by the mainstream media? It might have something to do with the fact that the US and Canadian governments have banned their citizens from talking about Fukushima so “people don’t panic.”
Credit – AP
Further south in Oregon, USA, starfish began losing legs and then disintegrating entirely when Fukushima radiation arrived there in 2013. Now, they are dying in record amounts, putting the entire oceanic ecosystem in that area at risk. However, government officials say Fukushima is not to blame even though radiation in Oregon tuna tripled after Fukushima. In 2014, radiation on California beaches increased by 500 percent. In response, government officials said that the radiation was coming from a mysterious “unknown” source and was nothing to worry about.
However, Fukushima is having a bigger impact than just the West coast of North America. Scientists are now saying that the Pacific Ocean is already radioactive and is currently at least 5-10 times more radioactive than when the US government dropped numerous nuclear bombs in the Pacific during and after World War II. If we don’t start talking about Fukushima soon, we could all be in for a very unpleasant surprise.
diemos on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 1:04 pm
And once again we have the famous map of tsunami wave height.
onlooker on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 1:26 pm
I will stick my neck out again and make a statement regarding this very complex technical subject. Radiation ingested {eating seafood }is way more harmful than ambient. Anyone dispute that?
peakyeast on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 1:55 pm
Eventually the fukushima accident will contaminate the entire multiverse. It is only a matter of time… lots of it…
And onlooker is imo spot on target.
penury on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 1:57 pm
As is usual the U.S. and Canada lead the world in suppressing information that might “scare” the voters. The other meaning of “scare” is inform.
curlyq3 on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 2:25 pm
Howdy onlooker, when ingested, radioactive materials are refereed to as internal emitters. A relatively benign low energy Alpha particle is a serious danger inside a persons body. The high decay rate damages the adjacent tissues. When not ingested, low energy Alpha particles are easily blocked and therefore can be prevented from doing damage. Nuclear profiteers and their apologists never discuss the topic of internal emitters and bio-accumulation. Bio-accumulation is really the most significant topic as it relates to the progressive accumulation of these internal emitters up the food chain until it reaches the highest levels before the food chain collapses.
I appreciate and thank you for all your thoughtful posts here.
curlyq3
Sissyfuss on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 2:26 pm
If we don’t start talking about Fukushima soon, what will we talk about? Kims’ butt cheeks, Trumps’ hair, Bills’ Viagra consumption?
penury on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 2:26 pm
The suppression of information in the U.S is virtually leak proof. By refusing to allow the release o the information it assures that we are all Fuked/
curlyq3 on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 2:32 pm
Ooops, the intended word is referred, not refereed! Dang!
curlyq3
Bob from Tn on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 2:58 pm
Thanks Japan,
Revelation 8
10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Hadenoughuc on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 3:10 pm
THEY SHOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO MAKE OR USE SOMETHING THEY CAN’T NUTRELIZE .
oka on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 3:12 pm
So the much touted freedom of the press is a lie?
Hadenoughuc on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 3:12 pm
Soon after another earth quake ect ,we will all be dead ,They just don’t care if they wipe the world out .
Cindy Haviland on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 3:18 pm
And lets not talk about killing ALL the oxygen giving microbes in the ocean that are being killed by radiation from Fukishima!!!!!
sedumjoy on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 3:21 pm
And that’s just one power plant! Now think of all the nuclear weapons we have and how everyone thought that when Carl Sagan came up with the concept of nuclear winter back in the 80’s that it was too pessimistic. It’s as if everyone thinks after the use of nuclear weapons it will be business as usual. The half life of fissile material used in reactors and weapons is measured in thousands or millions of years. In France where nuclear reactors prevail there are still tons of decaying drums full of radioactive waste they dumped into the sea and ocean. Between nuclear power plants and fossil fuels mankind is destroying the planet. An alternate source of energy is needed that has no environmental impact.
Joe OFlaherty on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 3:42 pm
This article is anti-nuclear nonsense. While Fukushima was a giant disaster it did not poison the entire Pacific. The damage to wildlife cited was the result of a huge “blob” of warm water in the NW Pacific. (See Nat. Geo. mag, Sept 2016). Oddly nuclear may be the one effective remedy for climate change and the “blob”
meyati on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 3:51 pm
I guess it doesn’t make much difference in who wins the elections in the Americas.
I don’t think that we need to blame the Japanese, as more blame should go to the company that designed it, made it, and lied about it; and the lousy lying politicians in North America and Japan.
Sushi, anyone?
Liv Howes on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 3:56 pm
Whoever installed the nuclear reactor(s)
on, or near a fault line, is definitely responsible for the cleanup, and containment of this mess. Fukushima is a monumental disaster that could have been avoided!
Rick on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 4:12 pm
I live on the east coast. Let me know when it crosses the Mississippi.
Ignorant People on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 4:16 pm
Joe OFlahertly you sound so ignorant, typical american not knowing whats going on in the world from being so caught up in your bubble quickly dismissing the truth when its set before your very eyes retreating back to your lies where you find comfort. sad how only so many of us knew about the disaster wondering why media would never cover the matter or any other important subject that goes on in around the world today, Oh wait its because the entire U.S. media is owned by 5 giant corporations the keep us on topics that consist of the life’s of today’s celebrities, Black lives matter really all lives matter, and many of other countless immaterial who’s the next yahoo to screw over america, The giant douche or the turd sandwich. Not to mention the carbon the world is releasing slowing destroying our ozone layer at an alarming rate passing C02 levels we will never be able to go back to, wheres the story on this topic? well it was nice knowing the world sad 2 generations now kids will be introduces and suffer for the mistakes of others.
XS on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 4:18 pm
You can tell the optimist are likely employees of such company’s listed above, and because because the consequences of such actions aren’t immediate then their hearts are fully set on destruction. The fact that these units will continue to damage the health of the planet and every species thereon for millions of years to come long after anyone’s normal life expectancy means they will never stop running these reactors. The entire planet and every generation to come is still being oppressed by these governments the corporations at the expense of trillions and egos.
julian on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 4:19 pm
Rense.com is talking about that for more than 2 years
E. on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 4:48 pm
So…Fukushima was a serious event and I do believe there are better alternatives to nuclear, now feasable in the recent years. But, the writting, the Tsunami height map from Noa without explanation (that is NOT radiation, its Tsunamy height in centimeters), this article and this website seems suspect. Just check some of the other articles. Lets see how long before this comment is deleted. Came here through Yahoo and never, ever, coming back.
Joe C. on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 4:51 pm
300 Tons a day of radioactive waste leaked into the Pacific is the biggest lie I have ever heard. No way. I am an engineer & I can not even imagine that quantity every day for many years. In a short time that is the entire weight of the the entire Fukushima complex. Where is the source of this information? The facts in this story is suspicious!!!
Ramona Silvestri on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 4:53 pm
why ever lie about toxins that exist on the planet eventually we all ingest them as one…SOLUTIONS TOGETHER !!! I want all people to breathe easy and live well when ddi that desire for my globe become a bad thing?
kars on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 5:02 pm
Why are we talking about this and taking precautions? How can we deal with this is it possible to even clean up? How pathetic this American Society, it’s not going to get better people by ignoring these problems. Wow
Tom Leahy on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 5:30 pm
GE has no relationship with TEPCO, other than to sell them the reactor system back in the 70’s.
The real villain here is the moron who sited the reactors so close to the ocean, knowing there were Tsunami risks.
Cj. on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 6:37 pm
Thanks Tom, I could not agree with you more. In my mind, the location was intentional in hopes that if ever there was an event the ocean would be the first line of defence in a clean-up scenario. What better way to cut clean-up cost during a small spill than to let the ocean deal with it?
I guess they never saw this scale of fuck-up coming.
Martha Nassauer on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 6:42 pm
No ban was placed on US citizens in discussing this disaster, although when attempting to open this article, 99% of the time the user gets (error establishing a database connection), which in itself is kind of ironic, no? So, I am guessing that there is a cyber ban in place? Regardless, most American either don’t care, don’t know, or think this problem will go away. Or, they have the NIMBY syndrome. Either way, it is lousy that we, Earth’s occupants, have limited to no say when ideas are put into place. One’s that have the potential to destroy everything on the Earth are topics “we, Earth’s inhabitants,” should have some say over. Instead, the rich, powerful, greedy basterdz out there reap the rewards, while the rest of humanity, the animal kingdom, and all of nature are compromised…now, until the end of (Earth’s) time. I wonder if mycelium would help in any way?
John Oelund on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 6:43 pm
THREE HUNDRED TONS A DAY? THIS ARTICLE IS INCREDIBLY INCORRECT ON THAT ALONE, AND THE REST SEEMS COMPLETELY BOGUS. IF I KNEW WHO TO CONTACT, I’D HAVE IT PULLED. I’M A SCIENTIST, DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ HERE.
Doug on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 7:17 pm
There are 444 species of marine fungi that will absorb this radiation…..fear, fear, fear!
mandy season on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 7:24 pm
it is only a matter of time untill ur pathetic human race will be gone forever .NUKE JAPAN ……like a suffering horse…they nuclear power meltdowns coming to a nieghborhood near u .U HUMANS ARE FOOLS!
Lesbomancer on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 7:43 pm
300 tons a day for 5 years?
So is it ever going to stop leaking?
Is this going to be endless? How much Radioactive junk can a nuclear reactor hold?
This is very fishy to me.
Diablo No on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 7:49 pm
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant sits on a bluff 85 feet above sea level.
In 2008 the Shoreline Fault, which passes approx 300 meters from the plant, was discovered
“Empirical prediction of near-source ground motion for the Diablo Canyon power plant site, San Luis Obispo County, California”.[23] Though the report was a primarily deterministic (empirical) analysis, it included a 1000-point Monte Carlo simulation to demonstrate that seven principal coefficients of ground motion were statistically significant at the 90-percent confidence level.
Diablo Canyon was originally designed to withstand a 6.75 magnitude earthquake from four faults, including the nearby Los Osos, San Andreas and Hosgri faults,[47] but was later upgraded to withstand a 7.5 magnitude quake.[48] It has redundant seismic monitoring and a safety system designed to shut it down promptly in the event of significant ground motion.
Ricardo Andrade on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 7:54 pm
Irresponsible and arrogant governments. And we people are not going to do a thing about it…wanna bet! Pretty soon we are not going to find even poison ivy or roaches to eat.
JACK KING on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 7:55 pm
It will take thousands of years to stop leaking. By then I guess man kind will be irradiated to death.
shaun lamont on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 8:00 pm
why, with all that engineering skill, are they not building a massive coffer dam around the facility, pump out all the seawater, and work on the actual problem…
Engineer on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 8:02 pm
“I am an engineer”
Famous last words Joe C. Ignorant People do have short lives thank an “Engineer”
Free Speech Rocks!
carl long on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 8:36 pm
that is 600,000 lbs/day.what does this material consist of?nobody can deny there is a serious problem there,but is it really that bad?And yes this maybe going on for a few thousand years.Mankind will not be worrying about this anywhere near that long,since we will most likely be long gone ourselves.
royce on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 8:48 pm
No wonder China garden restaurants are so cheap!!!!!! Well, at least most of the radiation appears to be headed to south America and not north america, that’s a relief and kind of a benifit really, maybe we won’t have to build a dirty Mexican wall after all??? Yknow., because they will all either die or be rendered sterile. So, it’s a win ,win ,win, really. three cheers for GE and fukushima
makati1 on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 8:49 pm
How do you like your salmon? Glow-in-the-Dark or precooked? How about those sardines, tuna, halibut, etc?
It will only be a few more years before the radiation is spread all across the Atlantic also. Note in the pic that the colors end at South America but the tail obviously continues into the Atlantic. Deliberate ommission or…?
BTW: GE, yes, THAT GE, is a partner in the TEPCO corporation that owns and runs the melted nuclear plants. Thank American know-how for ignoring the dangers when they built it in the first place. Profit, not rational thinking. Our species demise is becoming inevitable and sooner than we may want to believe.
FirstPilot on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 8:56 pm
If the USA had put the research into Thorium Based Reactors, the US had one up and running in the 40’s energy issues would have been solved by now. India and China and Japan will probably move in that direction before the USA.
hese reactors could be extremely safe, proliferation resistant, resource efficient, environmentally superior (to traditional nukes, as well as to fossil fuel obviously), and maybe even cheap. Exotic, but successfully tested. Much easier to control and stop a runaway reaction.
See Also
ghung on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 9:35 pm
?????????????????
thmak on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 9:39 pm
If that is the case, then the contamination of the nuke bombs dropped in Japan must have contaminated the entire earth atmosphere.
Consultofactus on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 9:51 pm
Huh! According to the graphic at the beginning of this article we are now measuring radioactivity in centimeters! But before you criticize the editor try walking a radian in his shoes!
Bob on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 10:10 pm
First of all, 300 tons of water…
300 tons is 600,000 lbs.
1 gallon is 8 lbs, thats 75,000 gallons a day. The 40×20 swimming pool in my back yard is 32,000 gallons. I just listed these to put this into perspective.
First, no mention was made of the specific radioactivity of the water coming out of the plant now. There is simply no way that the radiation coming out now is the same level as it was 5 years ago. Second, the pacific ocean is a very large place. Even at 75,000 gallons a day, we’re not talking about a huge dent in the size of the pacific – we couldn’t be if you think about it.
I suspect that they didn’t quote the specific radioactivity of the water coming out now because it’s fairly low level and really not of much concern.
But… another poster had things correct when he pointed out that these fish dying were actually connected with other events. People just like to put all the blame on things like this.
Was the fool that sited this plant very smart – nope – I never would have done that and I can say that because I actually have a Nuclear Engineering Degree from one of the world’s better institutions.
Another thing – most of the “facts” in this article aren’t… fact that is.
notyourtypicalusername on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 10:10 pm
You might want to check your math. Apparently we are to believe that there is over a billion pounds of radioactive material stored (or was used) at this nuclear plant? 300 tons daily…multiplied by 2000 pounds per ton…. multiplied by 365 days a year….multiplied by 5 years…..well, you get the point. Not likely. Stupid scare tactic. What is your real agenda?
Bob on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 10:18 pm
Right.. 300 tons – 600,000 lbs * 365 days/yr * 5 years = 1.095 billion gallons right there. An olympic swimming pool has about 650,000 gallons.
At the “advertised rate” (which is suspicious), this is leaking at just over 1/10 of an olympic pool per day. Plausible – yes… probable – no.
And even if it were, I guarantee you that the radiation has diminished over the past 5 years.
Remember – all of this material was mined from inside the earth to begin with. Most people don’t realize it but there were naturally occurring nuclear reactors quite some time ago.
Yes, that is correct… Uranium occurred in a concentration great enough to run a self-sustaining chain reaction in the earth. So… nuclear reactors are more natural than Jane Fonda.
Al on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 10:37 pm
This is false. From Snopes you can see that this is a chart predicting tsunami wave hieght following an earthquake…”However, that chart did not actually track or measure radioactive discharge emanating from Fukushima in 2013, or any other aspect of the Fukushima disaster. It was a plot created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) immediately after the Tohoku earthquake in March 2011 showing the wave height of the tsunami that followed. It had (and has) nothing to do with the flow or spread of radioactive seepage from Fukushima.
“
curlyq3 on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 10:38 pm
Howdy all, water that is flowing through the melted reactor cores is being contaminated. This water has a measurable weight by volume. This contaminated water has been flowing into the Pacific Ocean since the nuclear facility was arguably destroyed when the three reactor cores melted down and a fourth reactor lost most if not all of the new and used fuel it had stored in it’s fuel pool while it was being serviced. I would highly recommend checking out the following link to a most informative website that has documented the catastrophe from the beginning. There are videos and still images to help to understand the magnitude of the destruction that occurred and up to date information regarding the current status at Fukushima Daiichi One.
http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/
curlyq3
flatusm on Sun, 2nd Oct 2016 10:43 pm
Is the measured level of radiation higher than that of radioactive elements naturally in seawater, or radiation released from cosmic rays hitting atoms in the ocean? I really doubt it.
The total amount of radioactive water we are talking about is the equivalent of one drop dispersed in 30 olympic sized swimming pools.