Extraordinary Measures: Solitary Pacific Salmon Found With Detectable Fukushima Contamination (2016)

This post is based on a more detailed post by Dr. Jonathan Kellogg on the Integrated Fukushima Ocean Radionuclide Monitoring (InFORM) project website. It contributes to an ongoing effort to provide scientifically derived evidence to determine Fukushima’s impact on environmental and public health. After extended testing of select 2016 salmon samples the Fukushima-fingerprint isotope was found in single fish.  The maximum level of contamination observed in this sample  (134Cs,  0.07 Bq kg-1; 137Cs, 0.51 Bq kg-1) is over 1,700 times lower than the Health Canada Action Level (1,000 Bq kg-1) and does not represent a significant health risk for either the fish in question or consumers of Pacific salmon including human beings.  The InFORM project continues its monitoring of seawater and marine biota for signs of Fukushima derived contamination to assess the potential impact on the marine ecosystem and public health.  Results are reported as they are generated here.