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Re:Japan nuclear body says radioactive water at Fukushima an... by hannibal5 on Monday August 05, 2013 @02:57PM (#6162104)
It all boils down to bioaccumulation. Radioactive stuff that just floats around is diluted fast into nothingness.

Chernobyl was bad, but most of the fallout landed on forests and lakes that are not significant source of human food chain (mushrooms, fish in lake and animals in the forest still have traces left).

Fukushima did not blow stuff into the atmosphere, most of the leak is from water leaking to the soil and to the sea. Almost everything living in the sea is important part of the human food chain.

Re:Japan nuclear body says radioactive water at Fukushima an... by Bjoern on Monday August 05, 2013 @04:34PM (#6162787)
> Fukushima did not blow stuff into the atmosphere

Well, that is actually not right. During the accident radioactive water vapor and other gases were released into the atmosphere due to the explosions. Its correct though that, most of it was washed out by rain quickly being diminished into the ground water or carried away onto the ocean.

More importantly a significant portion of the radioactive water seeped into the groundwater, which will have unknown effects in the future.

Re:Japan nuclear body says radioactive water at Fukushima an... by hannibal5 on Monday August 05, 2013 @05:11PM (#6163077)
You seem to be right. More iodine-131, caesium-134 was released as water wapour. Still, most of it will ended over ocean or very close to sea.