A graphic released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) depicting a Texas-sized island of debris (dubbed “Japan’s ‘toxic’ monster” by Fox News) heading towards North America sparked fear, controversy, and created catchy headlines over the past few weeks, even though this fear has been disproved by the NOAA itself.
In a tweet earlier this month, the NOAA stated: “Some talk is making the rounds that there’s an ‘island of debris’ from Japan coming this way. This is myth . . . there’s no evidence of a mass!” The graphic in question depicts 5 million tons of debris, which was released into the world’s oceans after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Fukushima.
According to the NOAA’s Marine Debris Program website, after a year at sea, an estimated “70 per cent [of debris] sank off shore, leaving 1.5 million tons floating.” The graphic was created to show higher concentrations of the now far spread debris, the highest concentration being in an area roughly the size of Texas, off the coast of western United States.
While it has now been determined that this supposed “51st” US state is a myth, the highly dispersed radioactive trash now peppers an area roughly three times the size of the Continental US. The first pieces of detritus are now washing up on coastlines in Hawaii and along the west coast of North America, and are predicted to continue to appear for several more years.
Scientists have discovered over 165 native Japanese organisms hitching a ride on the arriving debris.
According to SALON, scientists have already discovered over 165 native Japanese organisms hitching a ride on the arriving debris.
“We’re finding that all kinds of Japanese organisms are growing on the debris,” John Chapman, a scientist at Oregon State University’ Marine Science Center told Huffington Post. “We’d never seen [some of these species] here, and we don’t particularly want [them] here.”
The Japanese government has also recently admitted that it is now clear that approximately 300 tons of nuclear contaminated water are pouring into the ocean each month from leaks within the devastated Fukushima Power Plant.
According the National Geographic, Shunichi Tanaka, head of Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority, has told reporters that leaks have likely been occurring since the earthquake and tsunami hit in March 2011. There is evidence to indicate that officials were aware of the leaks in June at the latest, but the announcement was made as late as July 22.
The water is contaminated with several different chemicals, all of which affect the human body, and host organisms in different ways. Luckily for North America, the ocean currents the tainted water is riding are also diluting it to a point of safe consumption, equal to that of the background radiation we are already exposed to on an everyday basis.
Minoru Takata, director of the Radiation Biology Center at Kyoto University, told the Wall Street Journal that the radioactive water doesn’t pose an immediate health threat, though he is concerned that the leakage could cause higher rates of cancer in Japan.
Fish populations have also been under scrutiny since the leakage was affirmed, since high levels of cesium and strontium-90 have been found in fish local to the Fukushima plant. The concentration is so high that the Japanese government has banned the fishing and consumption of this local seafood, a decision which is costing local fishermen billions of dollars a year according to National Geographic.
It is currently believed that the radiation will not affect local North American seafood or those who eat it, as cesium is similar to salt in it’s ability to quickly enter and leave the body.
