Cesium spike in Tokyo Bay is “no immediate threat to health” — Fukushima contamination increases up to 1,200% since August — Levels will continue rising for years

Contamination linked to Fukushima plant; no immediate threat to health Sludge samples taken at the mouths of two major rivers emptying into Tokyo Bay showed radioactive cesium contamination linked to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis grew by 1.5 to 13 times since August, a researcher at Kinki University said Monday. The contamination poses no immediate health risk [...] “Contamination is flowing into the bay from rivers, including the Edogawa River, where cities with high radiation levels like Kashiwa (in Chiba Prefecture) are located upstream,” Yamazaki told The Japan Times. [...] [...] the peak contamination concentrations should be within the next couple of years, considering that the half-life of cesium-134 is about two years, Yamazaki said. “If the contamination were to spread to fish, it is possible that radioactive isotopes could accumulate when bigger fish feed on smaller ones,” he said. [...] Cesium spikes in Tokyo Bay samples The Japan Times By JUN HONGO May 15, 2012