Environmental Impacts of Fukushima - It's Just the Beginning

As you know, the largest man-made disaster, accompanied by the release of a huge amount of radioactive substances into the atmosphere and coastal waters, occurred on March 11, 2011 in Japan. The reason for it was the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami, which led to the destruction of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, incompatible with further operation. The station was officially closed in 2013.

Representatives of the Japanese side announced a term of 40 years. That is exactly what, according to nuclear experts, will be needed to bring this facility to a stable state. And what about this? More than 6 years have passed since the disaster. The first data appears that will help assess the environmental consequences of this terrible event.

The radiation level at nuclear power plants is still so high that not only people, but also robots, cannot be there. Even taking into account the highest level of development of Japan in the field of robotics, it has still not been possible to create a device that would work there for a long time. Due to the colossal radiation, all robots fail after a few hours, without having time to get through the rubble to the desired site. That is, there are no large-scale works to eliminate radioactive fuel leaks at the station. In this regard, from the time of the accident to the present, Fukushima supplies about 300 tons of radioactive water to the world ocean daily. This water contains radioactive iodine-131, which decomposes almost at the very beginning, as well as cesium-137, a half-life of 30 years. At the same time, there is a leak of nuclear fuel, the true extent of which is not known for sure.

Of course, such colossal volumes of contaminated liquid are not able to dissolve without a trace even in the largest ocean on the planet. Due to the peculiarities of the circulation of water masses in the Pacific Ocean, sea currents carry radioactive pollution from Fukushima to the northeast, to the shores of Alaska and California. According to experts from the Pacific Scientific and Research Fisheries Center, as of early 2016, the radiation background in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and other Russian fishing zones is within normal limits. At the same time, the situation off the coast of North America, where contaminated water flows along with the North Pacific Current, does not look so optimistic. Along the shores of Western Canada, experts record an increase in radiation levels of 300%, and therefore, there has been a reduction in local ichthyofauna by 10%, including a population of Pacific herring. Widespread deaths of fish and starfish are also observed. And the content of radioactive substances in samples of Oregon tuna increased by 3 times. The total level of radiation in the Pacific Ocean today is 5-10 times higher than that during the US atomic bomb test.

Even this little information is enough to make a disappointing conclusion: Fukushima has already surpassed the Chernobyl accident, which was considered the worst in the history of the planet, in terms of area of ​​impact. Unfortunately, mankind with its level of technical development at the moment is not able to prevent the consequences of such large-scale environmental disasters.