Seals with damaged flippers and hair loss 'are being killed by radiation from Fukushima plant', biologists warn

  • Seals washed up with hair loss and bleeding lesions
  • 9.0-magnitude quake caused meltdown at Japanese plant in March

By Chris Parsons


Scientists in Alaska are investigating whether seals are being killed by radiation from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Scores of ring seals have washed up on Alaska's arctic coastline since July either injured or killed by a mysterious disease which biologists first thought was a virus.

But the bleeding lesions on the hind flippers, irritated skin around the nose and eyes and patchy hair loss on the seals' fur coats may have been caused by radiation from the stricken nuclear plant.

Harmed: Seals like this one in Barrow, Alaska, have been found with bleeding lesions, damaged fur and flippers thought to have been caused by radiation from Fukushima, Japan.

Harmed: Seals like this one in Barrow, Alaska, have been found with bleeding lesions, damaged fur and flippers thought to have been caused by radiation from Fukushima, Japan.

Three reactors at the nuclear plant went into meltdown following the catastrophic tsunami caused by an 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan's north-east coast in March.

Now animals several thousands miles away in Barrow, Alaska, are washing up with injuries thought to have been caused by the fallout from the nuclear meltdown.

 

John Kelley, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said: 'We recently received samples of seal tissue from diseased animals captured near St. Lawrence Island with a request to examine the material for radioactivity.

Chaos: Three reactors at the Fukushima plant went into meltdown after the tsunami in March which battered Japan's north-east coast

Chaos: Three reactors at the Fukushima plant went into meltdown after the tsunami in March which battered Japan's north-east coast

'There is concern expressed by some members of the local communities that there may be some relationship to the Fukushima nuclear reactor's damage.'

The results of the tests would not be available for 'several weeks,' Kelley said.

Water tests have not picked up any evidence of elevated radiation in U.S. Pacific waters since the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which caused multiple fuel meltdowns at the Fukushima plant and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the surrounding area.

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been seeking the cause of the diseased seals for weeks, but have so far found no answers.

The comments below have not been moderated.

If the lab results are not back yet, why was this article published? What you going to do when the results come back with zero attribution to radioactivity? This article seems to be geared towards spreading unwarranted speculation from the anti-nuclear people or those who are simply very uninformed about radiation in the environment - and immune systems. Any animal with that amount of bleeding and hair loss to have had anything to do with radioactivity would have had to be sitting on top of a very intense source of radiation. Not possible in the oceans. Journalist has zero science training. Publisher ditto.

Click to rate     Rating   10

what a ridiculous article full of speculation with no facts at all to back up their claims. The cause is not known so why would any ethical journalist put out this garbage report with nothing to back it up.? This isn't news it is simply a blatant anti nuclear opinion piece trying to disguise itself as something else. This kind of obvious fear mongering should be illegal and the authors should be ashamed. I'm disgusted.

Click to rate     Rating   8

The headline is completely misleading! Nowhere in the article does it suggest that the radiation from the plants are the cause of the seals' health issues, the professor merely SUGGESTED that it could be, but that their results on radiation won't be conclusive for several weeks. The last two paragraphs clearly state: "Water tests have not picked up any evidence of elevated radiation in U.S. Pacific waters since the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan." "Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been seeking the cause of the diseased seals for weeks, but have so far found no answers." Poor journalism. This was written only to attract attention not facts.

Click to rate     Rating   5

All that is before us, or "external" is merely an inner reflection. We are infinite light, beings of energy. We create our "physical" world, which is again, the reflection of the inner consciousness; therefore, when we see nuclear radiation killing seals, ask, "How am I killing myself inside?" I know, I know, it's a convincing 'reality' and you think you're just some sort of 'cosmic accident' that will just not "be" one day, huh? Wrong. Stop killing your inner Self and the seals will stop dying, and the nuclear power plants will cease to be and we can harness gravity like Tesla.

Click to rate     Rating   16

We humans have a lot to answer for.

Click to rate     Rating   29

What you are seeing there are deterministic effects of radiation (IF IT WERE RADIATION). Even with the activity released into the ocean, the dilution is such that you just could not get to those levels. Therefore it is just not credible that this was caused by ionising radiation (IMHO). It might well have something to do with the incident, the earthquake. Chemical? Biological ? But it is not radiation.

Click to rate     Rating   44

Why I don't want to eat seafood for a long time.

Click to rate     Rating   40

The web sites Enenews and EX-SKF have daily updates on the situation, as well as Arnie Gundersen from Fairewinds Associates. The main stream media and governments are not covering this because it's so serious they are afraid of panic (and being blamed...). The commenter who thinks that there was no radiation leak needs to become educated on this. Those seals are obviously suffering from radiation injuries.

Click to rate     Rating   55

Poor wee things. God love them. Very sad.

Click to rate     Rating   38

mr G, uk, 28/12/2011 ------------------------- What are you talking about ? the spent nuclear rods were exposed to air and reached temperatures of 800 degrees,and they had to spray them with a fire hose and that water went into the ocean carrying much radiation with it. Normally the rods are supposed to be in a huge cooling pond that shouldn't get above 70 degrees, this is why Nuclear plants are dangerous because they store the waste on site. Which seems stupid to me but no one wants the waste in their back yard

Click to rate     Rating   41
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