Prof. Sasaki: Radioactive ‘Black Soil’ On Japan’s West Coast Is From Fukushima Daiichi

Professor Sasaki: Radioactive ‘black soil’ on Japan’s west coast is from Fukushima Daiichi (ENENews, June 14, 2012):

Subscription Only: Radioactive ‘black soil’ patches: A scourge or a solution?
Asahi Shimbun AJW
By SHOJI NOMURA/ ASAHI SHIMBUN WEEKLY AERA
June 14, 2012

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Further studies found similar patches of soil–along with high radiation readings–in parts of Tokyo. In fact, the radioactive soil has been discovered as far away as Miyagi, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures.

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[Hideaki Sasaki, an associate professor of microbial physiology at Iwaki Meisei University] also pointed to the cause of the radioactive cesium detected in Niigata Prefecture along the Sea of Japan.

“While the United States and the Soviet Union conducted nuclear testing in the atmosphere in the 1960s, there are almost no effects from that testing in the soil today,” Sasaki said. “The only possible explanation is the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.”

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Mystery Continues: Professor theorizes black substance on roads is actually radioactive particles — “Phenomenon occurs even in regular soil containing no cyanobacteria” — All roadside dirt can have high radiation, regardless of color (ENENews, June 14, 2012):

Subscription Only: Radioactive ‘black soil’ patches: A scourge or a solution?
Asahi Shimbun AJW
By SHOJI NOMURA/ ASAHI SHIMBUN WEEKLY AERA
June 14, 2012

Koichi Oyama noticed something strange when he was measuring radiation levels in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture. In many places where the readings jumped, the municipal assembly member found patches of dried dark soil.

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One reason for the wide prevalence of the black soil is that it contains a micro-organism known as cyanobacteria that is common around Japan.

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The bacteria is of a blue-green color, but it turns black upon drying.

There are two major theories on why the cyanobacteria in the black soil has such high levels of radiation, but nothing has been confirmed.

One theory posits that the radiation becomes concentrated in the cyanobacteria. There is scientific evidence that cyanobacteria absorbs cesium, but confirmation has yet to be made on whether such radiation concentration has occurred in the cyanobacteria found in the black soil samples.

Hayakawa’s theory is that the high radiation levels are due to radioactive cesium from the Fukushima nuclear accident that was pushed by rain and wind and accumulated along roads. He believes that the phenomenon occurs even in regular soil containing no cyanobacteria.

According to Hayakawa’s theory, all dirt along roads is capable of recording high radiation levels, regardless of the color of the soil.

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