Except that's not possible, even for a Chernobyl-level release of radioactive material. You might as well suggest that Chernobyl made all food from Britain to Afghanistan inedible. We can detect material from Fukushima in the Pacific, but only because we have the technology to detect radiation in infinitesimal amounts.
And I have suggested nothing of the sort about Chernobyl rendering all food inedible... the type of accident, the fact it is water-borne rather than wind-borne, and that there is nearly 10 times the amount of nuclear material at Fukushima (1600 tons) vs Chernobyl (180 tons) make for a very different situation.
Besides, it has been more than 2 years and no covering of Fukushima has been done, whereas in Chernobyl they erected a cover over the reactor within 6 months.
What we do know as part of the historical record, is that the operator, TEPCO, has been lying or at least, shading the truth, about the severity of the situation all along.
> Fukushima possibly contaminating the entire Pacific, making any seafood from there not able to be eaten ...
This false view has been partly inflamed by an "environmental" website that posted an alarming picture of Fukushima radiation spreading across the Pacific -- except the posted picture was actually of the tsunami wave's height, not radiation, spreading across the Pacific.
Fukushima isn't going to release nearly enough radiation to poison the Pacific Ocean. Maybe it will release just enough radiation to force changes in the nuclear power industry. Nothing else has worked.
> You are making a straw man argument, conflating a bad map with supposed bad science...
The map was bad, and the science was worse, but there's no meaningful connection between them, certainly not in my presentation.
> Japan's own testing showed contamination even in 2011, by cesium isotopes, some 2000km out to sea from Fukushima.
Yes, measurable with specialized equipment, but not significantly above the natural background radiation level.
This is not to diminish the seriousness of Fukushima -- it is very serious -- but it's not going to render the Pacific's fish unsafe. That's a fantasy.
> The answer is, that you don't know.
The figures are easy to collect and easy to interpret, and they have been. The claim that the Pacific's fish will become inedible is not connected to reality.
Quote: "By the time tuna are caught in the eastern Pacific, cesium levels in their flesh are 10-20 times lower than when they were off Fukushima. Moreover, the dose from Fukushima cesium is considered insignificant relative to the dose from naturally occurring polonium-210, which was 1000 times higher in fish samples studied, and both of these are much lower relative to other, more common sources, such as dental x-rays."
> The answer is, that you don't know.
You're the one who doesn't know, even though the information is easily accessed.
Neither you, nor I, have any idea as to the ultimate fate of the cores that have melted, the other (spent or not) fuel rods, any other radioactive materials on site.
We do know, that they are not contained as of today.
We also know that some unknown amount of radioactive material of unknown composition (Iodine-131, Strontium-90, Cesium-137 - but in what ratio?) enters the atmosphere or the Pacific.
TEPCO does not know the numbers or the amount; and in fact, they hope but do not know for certain that the melted core is still on top of the 7 meter thick concrete slab which is under the pressure vessel that used to hold the core, but which was breached.
The argument was that the fish in the Pacific aren't safe to eat. That argument is false.
Because of Fukushima, Germany has decided to abandon nuclear power entirely. The German's aren't stupid --- they recognize what Fukushima means, i.e. nuclear power is incredibly difficult to make safe, and to an increasing number of people, simply not worth the risk. As a result, Germany is becoming a pioneer in alternative energy sources:
Quote: "Germany is the world's top photovoltaics (PV) installer, with a solar PV capacity of 34.499 gigawatts (GW) at the end of July 2013.[2] The German new solar PV installations increased by about 7.6 GW in 2012, and solar PV provided 18 TWh (billion kilowatt-hours) of electricity in 2011, about 3% of total electricity.[3] Some market analysts expect this could reach 25 percent by 2050.[4] Germany has a goal of producing 35% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and 100% by 2050."
We in the U.S. are far behind countries like Germany, and we have no excuse.
> Really, your response is arrogant.
Translation: "I know better than to argue using facts, so I will argue using opinions." Sadly noted.
What facts do you have? More than TEPCO or the Japanese government, who are now admitting that they don't know anything and don't know when they will have the radiation leaks controlled? Are you reading what I actually wrote?
Your view seems to be that Fukushima is an event that occurred and is now past, with measurable or predictable results.
I disagree with that view, and view Fukushima as an event that is ongoing, and will continue to be ongoing until radiation from all sources is no longer entering the environment.
Fukushima contaminated seafood to a very minor degree. The studies I read about determined that a standard serving size of affected tuna (an apex predator) was 1/20th of the BED [1]
Actually this contamination might be a good thing for the Pacific. It won't be enough to seriously harm the critters (in terms of populations), but it might significantly reduce fishing, allowing the whole ecosystem to recover.
By the way, not 1 word in the article, filled with all sorts of scary quotes, about diatoms and their role in CO2 sequestration.