Every bluefin tuna caught in California waters is believed to be contaminated with radiation that originated in Fukushima, according to a new report.
Yes, every single fish tested.
In May of 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported on a Stanford University study by Daniel Madigan, a marine ecologist who was quoted as saying:
“The tuna packaged it up (the radiation) and brought it across the ocean ... we were surprised to see it at all and even more surprised to see it in every one.”
Another member of the study group added that "absolutely every one" of the tuna had comparable concentrations of cesium 134 and cesium 137.
That was over a year ago, when the fish had relatively little exposure to the radioactive waste being dumped into the ocean following the 2011 meltdown.
Since that time, the flow of radioactive contaminants has continued unabated, and fish born into it have been swimming in contaminants for all of their lives.
Radioactive cesium doesn’t sink to the bottom, so fish swim through it and ingest it through their gills or by eating organisms that have already ingested it.
It is a compound that does occur naturally in nature, however, the levels of cesium found in the tuna in 2012 had levels 3 percent higher than is usual.
Measurements for this year haven’t been made available, but it is known that a person can experience cell damage due to radiation of the cesium particles.
Due to this, effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding may occur. When the exposure lasts a long time, people may even lose consciousness.
Coma or even death may then follow. How serious the effects are depends upon the resistance of individual persons and the duration of exposure.
Nevertheless ... you might not want to eat bluefin tuna in California.