Did you catch this story a couple of weeks ago? I ran into it online while looking for more info about the tsunami debris field heading our way, which appears likely to have a major impact along our coast. But this is a little different.
Ocean Radiation Plume Hits Hawaii From Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown
The story was picked up and repeated over and over.
The article, and the original analysis by ASR, a global coastal and marine consulting firm, are both careful to say that they do not know exactly how much contaminated water is in the plume and at what concentration. It is quite likely that it is so diluted that, in reality, no threat is posed to us or the ocean food chain.
I don’t recall reading the story or any critical analysis published here in Hawaii.
But potential visitors have likely been reading about it and wondering whether they’ll get a nice glow-in-the-dark look along with a tan during their island vacation.
Perhaps some follow-up with UH oceanographers might be in order.
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What about the fish?! We used to worry about the mercury levels of big-game fish like marlin and tuna. Now those fish are going to glow in the dark and come with a second pair of eyes. If you eat that fish and your kids will be born with two heads and a pair of gills. Gotta stick with the smaller species fish, and say goodbye to sashimi.
Crackpot ‘analysis’ from a crackpot website.
The website is clearly flakey in an alarmist, survivalist, doomsday conspiracy theory kind of way. But it doesn’t follow that the ‘analysis’ in the article is ‘crackpot.’ Most of it appears to have been lifted completely from the ASR analysis, which appears to be credible. The ‘crackpot” author on the Intel Hub site appears to have added a claim that the floor of Tokyo Bay is covered by a 10″ thick layer of cesium sludge, which is grossly inaccurate.
We all have to be able to read articles from a variety of websites while retaining our critical ability to differentiate between credible reporting and crackpot claims. Look at the Hawaii Reporter. Malia Zimmerman has done some very good reporting on the Kaloko Dam disater on Kauai, as well as the abuse of alien workers on the Aloun Farms. Yet they are once again promoting birther nonsense, which fits into their role as a conscious partisan propaganda operation.
Most of us can sort it out.
Don’t panic until the glowing, four-eyed fish walk ashore.
I got more radiation in 1962 when they tested the H bomb on Johnston Island.
“Perhaps some follow-up with UH oceanographers might be in order.”
Yes. If it is credible, UH oceanographers will know about it. I will forward a link to this blog to my friend who is involved with the modeling of the debris to see if he knows who might be the best person to consult on this matter.
Hopefully we’ll get some mutated giant Ahi so sushi prices plummet. Mmm…. sushi.
Maybe the radiation will fry the mercury out of them.
That there is a plume that wil by best modelling reach Hawai seems in little doubt. What remains to be known is of what severity the radiation contamination will be. given how little is actuallly known about the release, only testing here would likely put this to rest. Are local fish likely to be contaminated? Is anyone testing?
FDA is not testing.
Here is what a Canadian paper wrote about this:
Read the rest of this article.
Regarding seafood safety and mercury, it’s been determined through extensive studies that the mercury in fish is methylmercury that has long been part of the natural ocean environment and is bound with selenium. It’s not a neurological toxin as the mercury from industrial waste that caused the tragedy in Minamata, Japan.
“The risk of mercury poisoning from eating open ocean seafood remains hypothetical because it has not occurred. Not one person of any age in Hawaii or anywhere else has been reported with methylmercury poisoning from eating fish from the open ocean, including tuna, marlin and swordfish. There are no reports in the scientific literature confirming mercury poisoning from eating open ocean fish.”
http://www.hawaii-seafood.org/uploads/Seafood%20Safety%20Articles/Kaneko%20Bartram%20Mercury%20in%20Fish%20Q&A%20July%2009.pdf
As for preferring smaller locally caught fish, it depends on the species. While the “deep seven” bottomfish are acknowledged as safe — and often costly — there are many other fish that carry the risk of ciguatera poisoning.
This includes ulua, barracuda, kole and roi.
Generally speaking, the confirmed health risk of eating most types of domestic-raised beef is far greater (cardiovascular disease and e-coli) compared to the confirmed safety and health benefits of consuming pelagic species such as tuna and billfish, as well as deep water snappers.
What about Jeremy Piven, the actor who got mercury poisoning by eating sushi?