Skip to main content
Ocean Networks Canada

Ocean Networks Canada

Search form

Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn iconYouTube iconFlickr iconInstagram icon

Menu

  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Jobs & Opportunities
    • Events & Workshops
    • Contact Us
    • Support Us
    • Annual Report 2019-2020
    • Organization
      • Leadership
      • Staff
      • Boards
      • Committees
    • Funders, Associate Members & Partners
      • Funders
      • Associate Members
      • Partners
  • Science
    • Science
    • Active Research
    • Highlights
    • Science Plan
      • Summary
      • Science Themes
    • Publications
      • General Interest
      • Academic
    • Getting Involved
      • Proposals
  • Innovation Centre
    • Innovation Centre
    • About the Innovation Centre
    • Success Stories
    • Contact Us
    • Smart Ocean™ Systems
      • Sensors and Instruments
      • Technology Demos
      • Ocean Observing Systems
      • Earthquake Early Warning
    • Partners & Networks
      • Industry Network
      • Global Partnerships
      • R&D Support
      • Students in Industry
    • Atlantic Partners
  • Learning
    • Learning
    • Learning Highlights
    • Learning Events
    • Partnerships
    • Contact Us
    • Ocean Sense
      • Community Observatories
        • Cambridge Bay
        • Campbell River
        • Kitamaat Village
        • Prince Rupert
      • Teacher Info
      • Student Info
      • Resources & Lessons
    • Get Involved
      • For Students
        • For Undergrads & Grads
      • For Educators
        • Educator Opportunities
      • For Communities
      • Ship2Shore
      • Citizen Science
        • Coastbuster
        • Digital Fishers
      • Youth Science Ambassador
    • Resources
      • Learning at Home
      • Educator Resources
      • Ocean Alive!
      • Oceanography 101
      • About the Observatories
      • Research Ideas
      • Student Reports
  • Observatories
    • Observatories
    • Arctic
    • Atlantic
    • Pacific
    • Mobile Platforms
    • Infrastructure
      • Data Facilities
      • Platforms
      • Devices & Sensors
      • Cables & Connectors
    • Expeditions
      • Wiring the Abyss
      • Expedition Logs
      • Maintenance Processes
    • Notices
      • Information for Mariners
      • Alerts and System Status
  • Data & Tools
    • Data & Tools
    • Highlights
    • Data Quality
    • Preview & Download
      • Preview & Visualize
      • Data Download Tools
      • State of the Ocean Plots
      • Ocean Report Card
    • Apps & Services
      • Mobile Apps
      • OPeNDAP Web Services
      • Related Sources
      • Earthquake Data Dashboard
    • Data Help
      • Usage Policy
      • Tutorials & Help Pages
      • Request Help
  • Sights & Sounds
    • Sights & Sounds
    • Terms of Use
    • Video
      • Live Video
      • Video Highlights
      • Video Archives
    • Images
      • Maps
    • Audio
      • Audio Highlights
      • Audio Archive
  • News
    • News
    • Stories
    • Newsletters
    • Calendar
    • Media Relations
      • Backgrounders
      • Downloads
      • In the News
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts

About Us

You are here

  1. Home
Apr 1, 2014

Ocean-borne radiation from Fukushima

Ken Denman and Richard Dewey | Ocean Networks Canada

There is a broad consensus among the scientific community that ocean-borne radiation from the Fukushima nuclear reactor does not pose a significant risk to humans in British Columbia, relative to other environmental risks. Recent (2016) and on-going studies by Dr. Jay Cullen of UVic posted on his project site InFORM and reports from similar WHOI studies along the west coast of the U.S. indicate the amount of tracable material reaching North America is small. Nevertheless, many people are concerned about what they have heard from various other sources.

Human and natural sources of radioactivity in the ocean

Illustration by Jack Cook, courtesy of the Coastal Ocean Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Here we quote from the Comment piece published in the Victoria Times-Colonist on 20 March 2014 written by Patsy Thompson, Director-General, Environmental and Radiation Protection and Assessment Branch of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (emphasis added):

“Based on the monitoring of fish and seafood that has taken place since the Fukushima accident, it is very unlikely that someone in North America would consume local seafood that contains either [Cesium as] Cs-134 or Cs-137. In 2011 and 2012, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency tested domestic fish from B.C. for radioactivity. Neither Cs-134 nor Cs-137 was detected in any of the 32 fish samples.

The Canadian Albacore Tuna Association has also tested B.C. tuna samples collected between 2010 and 2012 and detected no cesium. In August 2011, levels that were roughly 300 times lower than levels that would prompt further U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation were detected in Pacific Bluefin tuna caught off the coast of California.

The USFDA states that it has no evidence that radionuclides from the Fukushima incident are present in the U.S. food supply at levels that would pose a public health concern. Consequently, seafood caught off the Canadian West Coast does not represent a potential health risk to consumers.”

Finally,

“ ……No one disputes the fact that radionuclides from Fukushima have crossed the Pacific Ocean. Any radionuclide from Fukushima is so diluted by the time that it reaches the West Coast that there is no need for Canadians to worry about human health effects. To imply otherwise is simply irresponsible.”

radioactivity | Fukushima | tsunami | nuclear | radiation | cesium | Chernobyl

Printer-friendly versionPDF version

Related Stories

Tsunami Monitoring and Public Safety for At-Risk Coastal Communities
Nov 4, 2020

Resilience through preparedness: remembering the 1964 ‘Good Friday’ tsunami
Apr 8, 2020

Hazards Beneath the Surface
Jun 6, 2018

Be Tsunami Prepared
Mar 27, 2018

Data from Alaska’s Magnitude 7.9 Earthquake and Tsunami
Jan 23, 2018

Real-time radar data spurs international gathering
Jul 26, 2017

Canadian scientist awarded for exceptional contribution to Earth science!
Aug 23, 2016

Calendar of Events

April 2021

  • « Prev  
  •   Next »
S M T W T F S
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Newsletter

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter:

 

Tweets Follow @Ocean_Networks

 

 

Highlights

  • Audio
  • Data
  • Learning
  • Science
  • Video

Reading Room

  • Active Research
  • Backgrounders
  • FAQs
  • Glossary
  • News Briefs
  • News Stories
  • Newsletters
  • Publications

Cool Stuff

  • Apps
  • Digital Fishers
  • iBooks & e-Pubs
  • Live Video
  • Maps
  • Images
  • State of the Ocean

Data & Tools

  • Apps
  • Data Plots
  • Data Search
  • Data Policy
  • Data Help
  • OPeNDAP Web Services

Opportunities

  • Calendar
  • Educator Opportunities
  • Global Partnerships
  • Industry Network
  • Jobs
  • Staff List
  • Technology Services

Sites & Instruments

  • Arctic Sites
  • Northeast Pacific Sites
  • Salish Sea Sites
  • Notice to Mariners

Follow Us

Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn iconYouTube iconFlickr iconInstagram icon

Sign up for our newsletter

Feedback

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

                              

About Us | Contact Us | Media Relations | Legal Notices

©   Ocean Networks Canada. All rights reserved.  2474 Arbutus Road, Victoria, BC, V8N 1V8 | 1.250.472.5400