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6. US univ. to monitor wildlife in Fukushima
A US research team will conduct a long-term study on the impact of radiation exposure on wild animals and plants around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The team from University of South Carolina, led by Professor Timothy Mousseau, will begin the study in Fukushima Prefecture and other areas of Japan in May.
The team has been studying the impact of radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident on wildlife around the plant for more than 13 years.
Its study shows a decrease in the number of birds and insects, as well as abnormalities in animals even in areas with low radiation levels of one to 3 microsieverts per hour.
The team says long-term research is likely to shed light on the impact of low-level radiation from the Fukushima accident on wildlife and that it hopes to cooperate with Japanese researchers.
Professor Mousseau will visit Fukushima later this month in preparation for the study. He says generational change of animals, such as birds, is quicker than that of humans and will provide clues to the impact of radiation on human genes.
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