Fukushima radiation identified off northern California


[link to www.statesmanjournal.com]
[snip]
less than 50%


Low-level radiation from Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident has been detected in multiple samples of ocean water off the Pacific Coast of the U.S. and Canada, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is reporting.

The sample nearest to shore was taken about 100 miles off the coast of Eureka, in Northern California.

The levels are far below those that might pose a risk to human health or marine life, said Ken Buesseler, a WHOI marine chemist who is leading the monitoring effort.

"The levels are only detectable by sophisticated equipment able to discern minute quantities of radioactivity," Buesseler said.

So far, about 20 of those samples have been analyzed, and 10 have been positive for cesium-134, the Fukushima fingerprint. All were relatively close to the surface.