They may not believe (or admit) it is radiation exposure until the next generations of these animals are born with multiple deformities! Even then will they continue to whitewash the truth for political expediency?
By Alex DeMarban
Dec 23, 2011
The University of Alaska Fairbanks' Institute of Marine Sciences
is launching an investigation into whether radiation, including possibly from
the Fukoshima Daiichi nuclear power-plant disaster in Japan, has harmed or
killed more than 100 ringed seals off Alaska's coasts.
More than 60 dead and 75 diseased seals have shown up mostly on
Alaska's Arctic beaches since this July, with symptoms that include oozing skin
sores, patchy hair loss and damaged organs, prompting a wide-ranging
investigation into the mysterious cause of their illness.
Scientists are considering several possible causes. But much of
the effort has been geared toward finding the bacteria or virus that's causing
the apparently unprecedented symptoms, with labs nationally and in other
countries examining tissue from ringed seals and Alaska walrus, which appear to
be suffering the same affliction.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently
declared the ringed-seal deaths an unusual mortality event, a decision
that should free up federal funds and more expertise to help with the analysis.
It's not unusual for investigations into wildlife-deaths to
continue for this long without an answer, said Terri Rowles, coordinator for
National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program.
The work so far has yielded at least one important clue:
"Tests indicate a virus is not the cause," said a recent press
release from NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Some wonder if radiation could be causing the skin sores and
related problems, including ulcers on internal organs and abnormal growths on
brains.
ED: Well, du-uhhhh!
John Kelley, with the Institute of Marine Sciences at UAF, said he's just
received a large batch of tissue from afflicted ringed seals and will soon
begin the university's hunt for radiation as a possible cause.
"The tissues just came down from Barrow," he said on
Friday. "They sent a large quantity through (state) public health in
Anchorage. It's quite a job. We have to freeze dry it, grind it, analyze it.
This will take some time."
The work will begin over the holidays, he said.
He believes it's unlikely that Fukoshima had anything to do with
the seals' deaths, given that levels of detected radiation are quite low around
Alaska, both in the air and water.
ED: Are we supposed to believe that?!!!
Is it possible that the ringed seals traveled to a contaminated
area? They do, after all, have quite a range. Experts
could not be reached the Friday before Christmas to explain migratory routes
for Alaska's estimated stock of 250,000 ringed seals.
Or did they eat prey contaminated by radiation? If there is a
link to Fukoshima, the lab will find it, said Kelley.
They'll be testing for radionuclide Cs-134 and Cs-137.
"This will give us or not give us a fingerprint that is out
there," he said. "If Fukoshima is there, this should give us some
indication."
Near where I am they've shut down a fishing community because of ulcers and sores on the fish. They just happen to be dredging the nearby harbour to make it deep enough for natural gas tankers to enter, but no one in authority is willing to confess that the dredging has caused the problem, because come hell or high water they're going to continue with the dredging because there's too much money to be made out of NG.
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