Scientists find no radiation in sick ringed seals

[IDemo]

By Dan Joling
updated 1 hour 34 minutes ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Lesions and other symptoms associated with sickened or dead ringed seals along Alaska's northern coast last year were probably not caused by radiation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday.

Preliminary screening of tissue samples from both healthy and sick ice seals and walruses showed no radiation levels that would have directly caused the symptoms, the agency posted on its Alaska region website.

Radiation was considered because of the timing and size of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident that followed a tsunami in March 11 in Japan. According to the NOAA announcement, marine animals and fish near the accident site in Japan were affected by radiation but there is no evidence to support any effects on animals in Alaska.

Sick and dead ringed seals started showing up in July on the Beaufort Sea coast near Barrow, the country's northernmost community. Strandings were reported as far west as Point Lay and Wainwright on the Chukchi Sea.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46435425/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Follow-up to the original post on this story in December here -> http://www.democraticunderground.com/101411074

[Dead_Parrot]

1. $50 says this doesn't get 59 recs like the other one... nt

[saras]

2. No duh - they didn't find anything. If they had said X DID cause the lesions - 50 recs easy.

[Neoma]

3. Uhhh...

Can micro pieces of plastic do that? A new type of HIV for seals? Hmmm.

[bluecoat_fan]

4. Becuase they have not tested for Cesium-134 nor 137 yet.

The M$NBC title is not correct, unless they know the results before the test.

Here is the actual NOAA statement:
http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/protectedresources/seals/ice/diseased/ume_radstatement0212.pdf

At one point it says:
"No radiation levels were found in these samples that would directly cause the symptoms seen in the pinnipeds."

Then later they say
"Muscle tissues from sick and healthy pinnipeds will be measured for the presence of Cesium-134
(134Cs) and Cesium-137 (137Cs)."

[Nihil]

5. Oh My God! They haven't tested for some radioactive isotopes yet?!!!! OOOHHH NNNOOOO!!!!

Damn, were the bullets not radioactive enough to register?

Christ, if only CO2 was radioactive there would be a world of support for the planet ...
and as for the "traditional make your dick bigger" pills ... hell, there would be so many
tigers, rhinocerus and elephants alive today that they'd probably be farmed for food ...

[Odin2005]

6. I see posters are already calling the experts liars...

..because they didn't give them more material for scaremongering with.

[bluecoat_fan]

7. No, becuase the M$NBC title is WRONG.

Reuters was closer when they said "Radiation ruled out, for now". But neither stories nor the NOAA report says what the actual radiation readings were. Having the title "Scientists find no radiation in sick ringed seals" before the tests are completed is misleading the audience.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/18/us-alaska-seals-radiation-idUSTRE81H03620120218

Here is the actual NOAA statement:
http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/protectedresources/seals/ice/diseased/ume_radstatement0212.pdf