“They’re All Gone”: Shock as sardines vanish off California — Fishermen didn’t find a single one all summer

[Steven Gaal]

Fukushima Nuclear Radiation Spikes 7,000% as Contaminated Water Pours into the Ocean (LINK}

Cleanup crews trying to mitigate Japan’s never-ending radiation crisis at Fukushima ran into more problems recently after sensors monitoring a drainage gutter detected a huge spike in radiation levels from wastewater pouring into the Pacific Ocean.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company says radiation levels were up to 70 times, or 7,000 percent, higher than normal, prompting an immediate shutdown of the drainage instrument. The first readings came around 10 a.m. local time on February 22, setting off alarms not once but twice as radiation levels spiked to extremely high levels.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

LINKS BELOW

Fukushima - World’s Radiation Nightmare

35,000 West Coast Sea Lions Dead - Extinction Next

71% Fukushima Residents Angry With Plant Status

NYT - Nuclear Power - Worst Form Of Energy Ever

US Fish Same High Rad As Fish 100 Mi From Fukushima

Edited March 6, 2015 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

Radioactive Iodine from Fukushima Found in California Kelp (link)

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Kelp off Southern California was contaminated with short-lived radioisotopes a month after Japan’s Fukushima accident, a sign that the spilled radiation reached the state’s urban coastline, according to a new scientific study.

Scientists from California State University, Long Beach tested giant kelp collected in the ocean off Orange County and other locations after the March, 2011 accident, and detected radioactive iodine, which was released from the damaged nuclear reactor.

The largest concentration was about 250-fold higher than levels found in kelp before the accident.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

US Navy sailors disappear as government, doctors bury truth about Fukushima radiation (link)

U.S. Navy sailors exposed to radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster have been falling ill, even as the Defense Department insists that they were not exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. Many of the sailors have now joined in a class action lawsuit against Fukushima operators and builders Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), Toshiba, Hitachi, Ebasco and General Electric.

Even if they wanted to -- which many do not -- the sailors would be unable to sue the Navy. According to a Supreme Court ruling from the 1950s known as the Feres Doctrine, soldiers cannot sue the government for injuries resulting directly from their military service

[Steven Gaal]

TV: Officials lying, many more kids getting cancer after Fukushima — Report: 1,200+ deaths from “illness caused by prolonged exposure” — Mom: “I’m really worried… children not the same… sick… nosebleeds, rashes.. white blood cells decreased” — Radiation by school 100 times normal (VIDEO)

Published: March 11th, 2015 at 10:28 am ET
By ENENews

ABC (Australia), Mar 11, 2014 (emphasis added): Radiation levels posing cancer risks… Before the disaster, there was just one to two cases of thyroid cancers in a million Japanese children but now Fukushima has more than 100 confirmed or suspected cases, having tested about 300,000 children… It is expected that thyroid cancers could turn up about four to five years after a nuclear disaster… [Megumi] Muto said her daughter and son, like many other children, had not been the same since experiencing the Fukushima fallout. “They had rashes on their bodies then nose bleeds. My son’s white cells have decreased and they both have incredible fatigue… both have multiple nodules around their thyroids. I’m really worried.”… Muto wanted to move her family out of Fukushima city but she said she could not afford to.

News 24 (SAPA), Mar 10, 2015: A total of 1232 deaths in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture over the past year were linked to the nuclear accident four years ago, up 18% from a year earlier, a news report said on Tuesday. A death is considered nuclear-related if is not directly resulting from a nuclear accident but is due from an illness caused by prolonged exposure. Namie town, close to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, had the largest number of deaths at 359, followed by 291 in Tomioka town, which is also near the complex, the Tokyo Shimbun reported.

ABC (Australia) video transcript, Mar 11, 2014:

• Headline: Fukushima residents have taken cancer and radiation testing into their own hands, saying authorities are lying to them about the safety of their community.
  • Matthew Carney, ABC correspondent: It’s a heartbreaking time for Megumi Muto. Her daughter is being tested to see if the lumps in her thyroid gland have grown… Megumi is convinced exposure to high radiation levels after the Fukushima nuclear meltdowns is the cause.
    • Megumi Muto, Fukushima mother (translated): I feel angry. I think the authorities hide the real dangers, and now many more children are being diagnosed.
      • Carney: Many residents in Fukushima don’t trust the government or TEPCO.
        • Muto: Since the disaster my kids have been sick with nosebleeds, rashes and lethargy. Fukushima used to be a safe… area, but not now.

        ABC (Australia) audio transcript, Mar 11, 2014:

        • Michael Brissenden, ABC: the issue of long term health implications like cancer are causing the greatest concern and controversy in Japan…
          • Matthew Carney, ABC correspondent: [Fukushima residents say the local and central] governments failed to protect the children. And they do not trust what the government or TEPCO… are telling them about radiation levels and safety. They’re conducting their own radiation tests and near this school in Fukushima City, the monitor reads 3 mircosieverts an hour. That’s about 100 times the rate of Tokyo.
            • Sumio Kunno, nuclear plant engineer: I have to investigate and inform the public of the facts… They’re still not decontaminating areas where children live or play.

            TV broadcast here | Radio broadcast here

Edited March 14, 2015 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

10,000 baby sea lions dead on one California island — Experts: “It’s getting crazy… This is a crisis… Never seen anything like it… Very difficult to see so much death” — TV: “Numbers skyrocketing at alarming rates” — “Woman is burying the rotting mammals” after digging graves at beach (VIDEOS)

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(LINK) >>>>>>>> http://enenews.com/experts-10000-baby-sea-lions-dead-one-california-island-getting-crazy-very-difficult-death-crisis-tv-numbers-skyrocketing-alarming-rates-woman-digging-graves-beach-bury-dead-bodies-videos

Edited March 17, 2015 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

Experts: Pacific food web crashing — “What’s going on? Where are the fish? Where did they go?” — “To be honest, it’s insane” — “You could equate it to a war zone” — “Food shortage all up & down West Coast” — Fishermen believe pollution harming food chain, doubt NOAA’s ‘warm water’ theory (VIDEOS)

Published: March 31st, 2015 at 9:32 pm ET
By ENENews

KSBW, Mar 30, 2015 (emphasis added): Volunteers who track the animals now say they think the colony of harbor seals is being affected by this year’s food shortage in the Monterey Bay, and that affect is significant… The food shortage is happening up and down the West Coast… it isn’t just affecting sea lions, it is also affecting harbor seals. Monitors say the pupping season got off to an early and difficult start this year, with more seal pups being abandoned the normal… They attribute the problems to a food shortage in the Pacific… it is happening all up and down the coast.

New York Times, Mar 16, 2015: Keith Matassa, Pacific Marine Mammal Center: “You could equate it to a war zone… hundreds of rescue calls a day”… Michele Hunter, PMMC: “To be honest, it’s insane. We’ve never had to deal with [something like this]“… Scientists are puzzled by whats happening. Matassa: “That’s what we’re trying to figure out is why? What’s going on? Where are the fish? Where did they go? Was there a little mini El Nino? Did something happen with the currents that the fish decided to go deeper or further out? They’re not closing the book on any theory.”

NBC San Francisco, Mar 17, 2015: cientists are taking a closer look at rapidly declining oxygen levels in oceans… In California, this has meant a huge free-fall in populations of important bottom feeder fish… Francisco Chavez [with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute said,] “I think there are a slew of surprises ahead.”

East Bay Express, Mar 18, 2015: In 2013, the sardine biomass was estimated to be about 725,000 tons… In 2014 [it was] down to 406,000 tons… there is no doubt that the population is severely depressed… sardines have declined to their lowest level in six decades… it’s unclear whether fishing is a significant cause for the collapse…

Tillamook Herald, Mar 13, 2015: Dr. George Hemingway, retired Oceanographer, Marine Educator, and chair of the Lower Nehalem Watershed Council will present a lecture entitled Warming and the 2014 Anchovy Bloom… Dr. Hemingway will go on to discuss subsequent developments in the Pacific, including the current crash in the food web, which has led to significant mortality of birds, sea lions and other marine life.

KEYT, Mar 18, 2015: NOAA points to water temperature as an answer for underweight sea lions, but fisherman aren’t so sure – Fisherman tell News Channel 3 that past El Nino years have been warmer… They believe the sea lion food chain may be affected by pollution as well… “Their habitat is being messed with“… “I just think they have behavioral changes that have been affecting them much more than it has in the past.”

Watch videos here: KSBW | NY Times | KEYT

[Steven Gaal]

13 baby gray whales and 55 dolphins found dead on West Coast — “Rash of dead humpback whales in Oregon” — “Corpses of sea lions, birds, sea turtles decomposing” — Mysterious deaths probed by gov’t — “Fear for whales encountering ‘radiation hot spots’…Volunteers trained about dangers of radiation” (VIDEO)

Published: April 3rd, 2015 at 9:25 am ET

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
By ENENews

New Mexico St. Univ., Mar 15, 2015 (emphasis added): What’s Killing Baja’s Marine Animals? Dead gray whales and dolphins. Corpses of sea lions, birds and sea turtles decomposing on the beach. Since the beginning of the year, the coasts of Baja California have been the scene of multiple discoveries of dead marine animals. The latest find was reported last week… 55 dead dolphins and 4 sea lions… [The gov't will] probe the reasons for the mysterious deaths. In mid-January… 550 dead sea birds and 4 dead sea lions near San Felipe. Another zone of mystery surrounds the Laguna Ojo de Liebre… where 150 dead sea turtles were discovered at the end of January. About two weeks earlier, 14 lifeless gray whales (13 babies and 1 adult) and 16 dead sea turtles were found in the same area… Mexican authorities hypothesized that sea turtles… could be succumbing to hypothermia [and] baby gray whales were dying from lack of nourishment… [They] migrate to Baja California from northern Pacific waters…

AP, Feb. 1, 2015: Cold temperatures are suspected of killing some 150 sea turtles found in a lagoon of Mexico’s Baja California [the] environmental protection agency said [warm waters are blamed for record-setting deaths of California sea lions and West Coast sea birds ]… it would be difficult to determine the exact cause of death… investigators also would try to determine whether some sort of contamination might have played a role. In mid-January, federal inspectors found the bodies of 14 gray whales.

Fox News, Jan 15, 2015: Four sea lions and 550 birds found dead [in] Baja California probably died as a consequence of climate change, Mexico’s Profepa environmental protection agency said… “Changes in the ocean water temperature are forcing schools of fish to swim deeper”

NBC San Diego, Mar 20, 2015: A dead gray whale was found floating in the waters near Torrey Pines State Beach Thursday morning, San Diego Lifeguard officials confirmed. The young whale [was] approximately 15 to 20 feet in length – Reporter: “Because it does not look like it had anything to do with humans, they believe that maybe the whale just got sick and died.”

California Gray Whale Coalition, Nov. 2014: The coast’s winter whale watching season brings real fear for visiting humpbacks and grey whales encountering “radiation hot spots” along West Coast waters as they migrate to and from Alaska and Mexico. The central Oregon coast’s whale watching training features more than 100 volunteers at 25 whale-watching sites… this year’s whale-watching volunteers have been trained in the dangers of radiation… there has been a rash of dead humpback whales washing-up along central Oregon…

KION, Jul 3, 2014: A 35-foot-long humpback whale has washed up dead on a Central California beach… cause of death has not been determined. – Reporter: “Researchers say the amount of whales found in distress this year is significantly more than in previous years… They usually only get 5 reports of entangled whales in an entire year. This year there have already been 8.”

ABC San Francisco, May 22, 2014: Dead Baby Humpback Whale Washes Ashore… “They’re actually endangered,” said Sue Pemberton with the California Academy of Sciences. “So it’s really important, every single one that dies, it’s important to know why.”… unlocking the mystery of why she died so young, only half the size of a full-grown humpback.

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Watch broadcasts: NBC San Diego | KION | ABC San Francisco

Published: April 3rd, 2015 at 9:25 am ET

Related Posts

1. Agency: Dead Conjoined Baby Gray Whales found on West Coast of N. America — Could be first ever recorded — 2 heads and 2 tails, joined in middle (PHOTOS & VIDEO) January 7, 2014
2. TV: “Surge in marine mammal strandings” on US West Coast — Scientists: “This is very weird”; “My biggest fear is if this… is everywhere” along coast — Whales, dolphins, sea lions, birds recently washing up in large numbers — Many thousands likely dead — Violent seizures shown on news (VIDEO) August 30, 2014
3. ABC: ‘Mysterious surge’ in sick marine mammals all along California coast — Infested with parasites, extremely emaciated; “Very seriously ill… in very bad shape” — Experts: “We’re extremely concerned right now” — Deaths up 1,500% at rescue facility — ‘Number mystifies officials’ (VIDEOS) January 13, 2015
4. Gov’t: It’s getting “even worse” on West Coast this year — Experts say over 35,000 baby sea lions could be dead; “This phenomenon is unprecedented in scale” — Hundreds of times more pups than usual at rescue center — Doctor: “Definitely indicates ocean not normal… Really, we should be worried” (AUDIO) March 4, 2015
5. CBS News: 100s of whales in bay on California coast; It’s never been like this, we just can’t even believe it — Experts: We just aren’t sure what’s going on; “A once-in-a-lifetime chance… unheard of, it’s unbelievable, nobody’s seen this” (VIDEO) November 30, 2013

Edited April 4, 2015 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

Scientists Detect Fukushima Radiation on North American Shores – Humans Exposed through Seafood Consumption?

By ENENews

Global Research, April 07, 2015

ENENews 6 April 2015

Statesman Journal, Apr 6, 2015: BREAKING NEWS Scientists detect Fukushima radiation on North American shores — Seaborne radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster has reached North America… cesium-134 and cesium-137 in a sample of seawater taken in February from a dock on Vancouver Island… It’s the first time radioactivity from the March 2011 triple meltdown has been identified on West Coast shores [see: April 2011 -- California seawater squeezed from kelp sample had 400,000 Bq/m3 of Iodine-131]… sample was taken Feb. 19… It contained 1.5 becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3) of cesium-134, the Fukushima fingerprint, and 5 Bq/m3 of cesium-137 [actually 1.4 and 5.8, respectively]… Fukushimaradiation concerns coastal communities… models have predicted that in general, the plume would hit the shore in the north first, then head south toward California… currents can be unpredictable… Woods Hole has received support from the National Science Foundation to analyze about 250 seawater samples that will be collected next month…

CTVNews, Apr 6, 2015: First low-level trace of Fukushima radioactivity detected off B.C. — But the levels are so low they are likely of little concern… Still, researchers say this is the first detectable of radioactivity from Fukushima found in a water sample taken from the U.S. and Canadian West Coast… Ken Buesseler, a marine chemist at WHOI who has been measuring radioactivity in Pacific seawater since 2011, says it’s been important to carefully monitor the oceans, given that the Fukushima disaster saw the largest accidental release of radioactive contaminants to the oceans in history.

Buesseler’s statement: “Even if the levels were twice as high, you could still swim in the ocean for six hours every day for a year and receive a dose more than a thousand times less than a single dental X-ray. While that’s not zero, that’s a very low risk.. We expect more of the sites will show detectable levels… Predicting the spread of radiation becomes more complex the closer it gets.”

CBC Radio, March 2015: Four years after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, scientists like UVic’s Jay Cullen are still monitoring the Pacific waters near us for radiation. Listen to what he’s found and what he hasn’t… Cullen: “If we see cesium-134 in a water sample or a fish for example we know that that’s been affected by the Fukushima disaster… Not only is cesium a marker for other isotopes that were released… it also represents a potential radiological health risk because if its internalized… it can damage our cells and cause illness. So the risk of illness appearing in individuals relates to the activity, how much of that isotope ends up in their body. Given the nature of this disaster, with most of the isotopes going into the North Pacific Ocean, the most likely way that a human being would be exposed to this radioactivity at this point would be through the consumption of seafood.” >> Full interview here

Watch Woods Hole’s latest projection of Fukushima Cs-137 levels through 2021 here

[Steven Gaal]

Food Chain Catastrophe: Emergency Shut Down Of West Coast Fisheries: “Populations Have Crashed 91 Percent” (LINK)

Earlier this week Michael Snyder warned that the bottom of our food chain is going through a catastrophic collapse with sea creatures dying in absolutely massive numbers. The cause of the problem is a mystery to scientists who claim that they can’t pinpoint how or why it’s happening.

What’s worse, the collapse of sea life in the Pacific Ocean isn’t something that will affect us several decades into the future. The implications are being seen right now, as evidenced by an emergency closure of fisheries along the West coast this week

[Steven Gaal]

http://enenews.com/university-testing-animals-pacific-fukushima-radiation-gruesome-photos-show-bodies-riddled-massive-tumors-cysts-bleeding-eyes-covered-lesions-missing-testicles-eyeballs-skin-disintegrating-pe

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US university testing animals in Pacific for Fukushima radiation — Photos show bodies riddled with tumors, eyes bleeding, covered in lesions — Some are missing testicles, eyeballs — Skin disintegrating, peeling off, turning yellow — Mammals affected by diseases never seen in species (WARNING: Graphic Pics) see link

Published: May 6th, 2015 at 1:26 pm ET

Colorado St. Univ., Apr 13, 2015 (emphasis added): CSU partners with Fukushima University to study radiation effects… Many CSU faculty and researchers are contributing to radiation research in Japan… including Thomas Johnson… professor of health physics, who is testing trace radiation samples in seal populations in the northern Pacific Ocean, where radiation from the Fukushima disaster was released.

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Alaska Marine Science Symposium presentation, Raphaela Stimmelmayr (Dept. of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough) & Gay Sheffield (Univ.of Alaska – Fairbanks Marine Advisory Program), 2014:

Incidental Gross Necropsy Findings in Subsistence-Harvested Ice Seals and Walruses

• Reproductive system: adnexal cysts [uterus], uterine and penile melanosis [darkening of skin], cliteromegaly [enlarged clitoris], cryptorchism [testicle(s) absent from scrotum], retained placenta;
• Endocrine system: thyroid cysts, adrenal nodules;
• Musculoskeletal system: synovial cyst [fluid-filled sacs in spine due to degeneration];
• Integumentary system: panniculitis [inflammation of fatty tissue], epidermal molt, skin sloughing;
• Respiratory system: lung tumor, parasitic granulomas [inflammation that forms when immune system is unable to eliminate a substance];
• Digestive system: microdontia [teeth smaller than normal], chronic interstitial pancreatitis [inflammation of pancreas], hepatic cyst [liver], cholestatic jaundice [yellowing of skin caused by thickening of bile or problems in liver], geophagia [eating dirt], and primary diffuse peritoneal tumor [membrane lining abdomen];
• A variety of the observed disease conditions are reported for the first time in ice seals and/or walruses.
• The majority of observed conditions in our material is classified as benign and are mostly inconsequential to the health of the harvested animals.

See also: Scientists present links between Alaska seal deaths and Fukushima disaster — Exposed to ‘pulsed release’ after fallout that accumulated in ice was quickly set free when melting occurred — “Wildlife health implications” due to radiation exposure discussed

[Steven Gaal]

Former Japan TV News Anchor: The mutations have begun in Fukushima, birds found blind, unable to fly — Magazine: “Birds in tailspin 4 years after Fukushima… the proverbial canary in a coalmine” — Professor: Birds with mutations popping up all over in contaminated areas (VIDEO)

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http://enenews.com/former-japan-tv-news-anchor-mutations-begun-fukushima-birds-found-fly-magazine-birds-tailspin-4-years-after-fukushima-proverbial-canary-coalmine-professor-partial-albinos-popping-all-place-conta

[Steven Gaal]

Gov’t Experts: Hordes of jellyfish 10 blocks long off west coast of Seattle; So dense it’s like you can just walk on them… Disturbing when all you pull up are huge masses of jellyfish — NPR: They seem to be replacing fish in food chain — Herring disappear, mysterious spike in salmon deaths (PHOTOS)

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http://enenews.com/govt-experts-huge-jellyfish-blooms-10-blocks-long-seattle-coast-fairly-disturbing-when-all-pull-huge-masses-jellyfish-npr-be-replacing-fish-food-chain-herring-disappeared-salmon-dying-photos

[Steven Gaal]

A mathematical model constructed by researchers at Imperial College London predicts the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, stroke) associated with low background levels of radiation. The model shows that the risk would vary almost in proportion with dose.

Results, published October 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, are consistent with risk levels reported in previous studies involving nuclear workers.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and one of the leading causes of disability in developed countries, as reported in the paper and also by the World Health Organization. For some time, scientists have understood how high-dose radiotherapy (RT) causes inflammation in the heart and large arteries and how this results in the increased levels of cardiovascular disease observed in many groups of patients who receive RT. However, in the last few years, studies have shown that there may also be cardiovascular risks associated with the much lower fractionated doses of radiation received by groups such as nuclear workers, but it is not clear what biological mechanisms are responsible.

The Imperial College London team, led by Dr. Mark Little, has explored a novel mechanism that suggests that radiation kills monocytes (a type of white blood cell) in the arterial wall, which would otherwise bind to monocyte chemo-attractant protein 1 (MCP-1). The resultant higher levels of MCP-1 cause inflammation which leads to cardiovascular disease. As well as being consistent with what is seen in nuclear workers, the changes in MCP-1 caused by dietary cholesterol that are predicted by the model are also consistent with experimental and epidemiologic data.

If the mechanism is valid it implies that risks from low dose radiation exposures (e.g., medical and dental X-rays), which until now have been assumed to result only from cancer, may have been substantially underestimated, say the authors.

The biological mechanism has yet to be experimentally tested. Further research is planned to investigate this.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Public Library of Science. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:
1.Little MP, Gola A, Tzoulaki I. A Model of Cardiovascular Disease Giving a Plausible Mechanism for the Effect of Fractionated Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation Exposure. PLoS Computational Biology, 2009; 5 (10): e1000539 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000539

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Your Radiation This Week #7

May 15, 2015

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http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/05/15/your-radiation-this-week-7/

May 8 to May 15, 2015

(San Francisco) May 15, 2015 – Good Day, this is “Your Radiation This Week.” These are the recorded Radiation Highs that affected people this week around the United States and in your neighborhood.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Steven Gaal

[Steven Gaal]

U.S. Restricts Some Japan Food Imports Over Contamination Concerns May 12, 2015
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People’s Daily Online / May 9th, 2015

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The United States has recently tightened restriction of food imported from Japan. According to Import Alert 99-33 issued by USFDA, a list of Japanese food will be banned unless they pass physical examination, which includes milk, butter, milk-based infant formula, and other milk products; vegetables and vegetable products; rice and whole grain; fish; meat and poultry; venus clam; sea urchin; yuzu fruit; Kiwifruit. FAD indicates that revision to this import alert is due to radionuclide contamination.

http://fukushimaupdate.com/u-s-restricts-some-japan-food-imports-over-contamination-concerns/

Edited May 17, 2015 by Steven Gaal