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Subscribe to RSSA year after Fukushima, the government has asked residents to bury radiated soil in their own backyards. But how dangerous is the dirt and where should it go? NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel reports.
Scientists are focusing on Japan's Fukushima area after a study published this week found an alarming development at another nuclear disaster site -- Chernobyl.
The proportion of female birds has fallen off since the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl, the study found, and that appears to be causing male birds to increase their chirping in efforts to find a mate.
"The Chernobyl zone is a population sink, or an ecological trap, that brings in new birds each year but these birds suffer lower survival," co-author Tim Mousseau, a University of South Carolina biologist, told msnbc.com.
"In other words," he said, "the Chernobyl zone is not an eden for wildlife" as some have claimed.
Mousseau, who's leading a team along with Anders Pape Moller of the University of Paris-Sud, is now in the Fukushima area preparing to test birds there for radioactivity from the nuclear reactors hit by the tsunami after the March 11, 2011, earthquake.
NBC's Richard Engel visits the exclusion zone surrounding Japan's damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
"We will be placing small dosimeters on birds and measuring body content of radionuclides," he said. That will also be done this summer around Ukraine's Chernobyl area, where earlier testing focused on counting birds.
For the Chernobyl study "we collected 1,080 birds using mist nets in forested areas that were highly contaminated but also in areas that were effectively 'clean' and sites in between," Mousseau explained.
"In the more contaminated areas, most birds were yearlings, suggesting that survival rates were significantly lower in these areas than in clean ones."
"Sex ratios in the contaminated areas were significantly skewed towards males, reflecting higher mortality rates for females," he added. "In birds, females invest heavily in making large eggs, and these data suggest this investment comes at a cost of lower life span."
Tim Mousseau
A Geiger counter is used to test soil in the Fukushima area last year as part of a study on birds.
As for the chirping, "males in contaminated areas tend to sing more than in clean areas," Mousseau said, "presumably reflecting the greater challenges of attracting and acquiring a mate when sex ratios are skewed."
Courtesy of Tim Mousseau
Biologist Tim Mousseau holds a bird caught around the Chernobyl area.
He's expecting even worse results at Fukushima.
A team did an initial survey last summer, counting 1,929 birds from among 45 species.
"Our expectation was that it would take many years and many generations of exposure for the cumulative effects" to show as they have in Chernobyl, Mousseau said.
"However, once we started our field work we realized that contamination levels were much higher than expected, even in July when we did our surveys," he said, "and it is likely that doses to these birds were very high in March and April when many of the birds were arriving to the area to initiate breeding."
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Fukushima is the Game Changer for the entire world.
NUCLEAR SUN
And the only thing that I regret
Is the damage that we've done
We've built a world of pain and misery
In the shadow of a Nuclear Sun
The pollution next to an ocean... I wish that there was some way to keep birds out of these radioactive areas, and fish out of the sea near Fukoshima. It is so sad to think that birds will disappear along the entire migratory routes that spend a little of their year in either the Chernobyl or Fukoshima areas.
Likewise, I wish there would be some way to keep aquatic life away from those shores.
Yes, I wish the world media would cover this story, at least when any new research is done, or on a weekly basis. Where is the investigative journalism? I thought at least a year later there would be more information.
As birds are migratory by nature.....how does that affect the spread of contamination into bird population areas that are not directly affected by the actual radioactive fallout????
This is all news from TODAY Brian @
How about reporting on these?
BUT the biggest news of all was YESTERDAY Brian
China Syndrome? Japan Times on Melt Through: “Molten ‘lava’ melted bottom of containment vessel,” says nuclear engineer given access by top official — Huge amounts of fission materials released into environment
WAKE UP! START DOING MORE REPORTS ON JAPAN!
The Children should have been Evacuated A YEAR AGO!!
"Ironic isn't it! The US has spent trillions of taxpayer and borrowed dollars, neglected our infrastructure, cut back on social spending, education, health-care, etc., to fight international terrorism (it claims!)
The greatest reason for terror has not been Osama bin Laden or other crazies, but rather the nuclear power industry and its US government lackeys: President Obama, most of Congress, the NRC and our compliant media, network broadcasters, cable news, the NYT, WP, the local newspapers and radio stations. They have all HIDDEN THE DANGERS OF NUCLEAR POWER.
Consolation? The politicians and executives who have done this to us will, with their families, be victims, too!
++++++++++++
A comment I found elsewhere that expresses my thoughts exactly.
SHUT THE MUTHERS (NPP) DOWN!!
I wonder if the same results could be achieved with human females.
I don't think I'd want to hear all those guys singing. Just sayin'.
I'm sure you mean this as an insult, but it is true that females of all species are affected much more severely by pollution and radiation. It is because the liver must be able to handle female hormones in order to have a normal female menses cycle, so it has less ability to handle the extra load of toxins. Look at the double-blind studies on the subject by The Endometriosis Association.
Elizabeth, Yes the female's liver is involved in the effects of radiation. However, the immune system, which is much more than just the liver function, is affected proir to birth, which is when this problem is starting. There are less females born, thus less females in the population. They have not found, nor will they find, large numbers of dead female birds!
Wait a minute... Birds menstruate?
There was a recent documentary either on PBS or one of the nature channels that indicated that in mammals at Chernobyl there were surprisingly few defects in their young. I wonder where the truth lies in all this.
What surprised me was the fact that the Japanese government allowed these plants to be built on the ocean. Yes, this was the worst earthquake on record but why take a chance and put the plant where a tsunami could cause such damage? IMO we should not get all "Chicken Little" and ban nuclear power plants. Put them in areas that have low risk of natural disasters. We cannot rely on fossil fuel forever. France uses a lot of nuclear energy. It is not an earthquake prone area and the French are not famous for their engineering so there are areas where nuclear plants fit in.
Funny thing is, there are NO facts that are substantiated by any believable research. Mind you that this article is pure conjecture and nothing but suggestions. And if the bird population is re-arranged in it's make up, so what? It will change again at a later time. We will not die from any of it though but from the crap these so called scientists spew out.
How will we die from the scientist's findings? Subliminal knowledge should be shared.
Females all dying? Maybe Chernobyl will not affect you, but Fukoshima is next to the biggest ocean, and the oceans' food chain. Humans are at the top of the food chain. Maybe not you, but your children will certainly be affected, and it will hurt. Look at the facts into radiation research done on females. Just because you won't look doesn't mean it isn't there.
Search youtube for Chernobyl Children, stupid. There's your "research"...peer reviewed.
The link below is not even news, as it was published in 2009. Nonetheless, it was a bird study of Chernobyl, and findings were not good.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9387000/9387395.stm
Birds living around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident have 5% smaller brains, an effect directly linked to lingering background radiation.
The finding comes from a study of 550 birds belonging to 48 different species living in the region, published in the journal PLoS One.
Brain size was significantly smaller in yearlings compared with older birds.
Smaller brain sizes are thought to be linked to reduced cognitive ability.
Insect diversity in the region has also decreased.
If this happens with human females the entire race will die out. Some, certainly not all, but some men will deserve living without us!
What is the JAPANESE grant number funding this "research"? Do the US Taxpayers have any money being wasted on it?
Excuse me, but aren't alot of you folks the same ones crowing about population of the earth getting too big and the earth's resources cannot sustain it, and we are all coming to a bad end because of that??? By your logic, fewer reproductive females, means less poplulation, which should make everyone happy happy in liberal land.
Sue - this is the best you can do, discussion-wise? Really?
Did anyone else see where a northwestern senator went to see the condition of the plant and came back begging our government to send assistance? He says things over there aren't being publicized enough here in the states. He also said the situation is far worse than what is actually reported here. Haven't seen a single thing about it on this site. I've read about a kid that swallowed a screw and a woman pregnant with 9 kids; the things that matter to all of us.
Are you speaking of Fukushima? Or Chernobyl?
This is an article I posted previously about Fukushima and Rep. Wyden's visit.
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2012/04/17/fukushima-daiichis-achilles-heel-unit-4s-spent-fuel/
I wish MSNBC would write an article about "Natoto Matsumura, Guardian of Fukushima's Animals". Mr. Matsumura has spent the last year in his home town of Tomioka, inside Fukushima's exclusion zone. Why does he stay? He's caring for cats, dogs, pigs, cows, ostriches...these animals belonged to his neighbors. Now, many are breeding and there are new kittens, puppies, baby cows...There is a Facebook page for this hero. There is a Chip In Fund as well and we want to raise awareness for this humble, caring, generous and courageous man. If you're not familiar with his name, please google him and learn his story or check out the Facebook page dedicated to him. He wants the world to know what's happening to the animals and he wants his town cleaned up. There are approximately 1,000 dogs, 3,000 cats, hundreds of cows, pigs, ostriches still waiting to be rescued. Thousands of animals have starved to death and the government of Japan refuses to allow private volunteer animal rescue groups into the zone. Please check out "The Hachiko Coalition" and Mr. Matsumura's page and see what you can do to help these animals. Thank you so much.