[Coral-List] Distressing News for the Whole Pacific

[Eugene Shinn]

Steve Wood makes a good point. The atmospheric tests were a problem and 
there is good evidence they did create cancer risks.  The American 
Scientist article he provided for coral-list readers is excellent. Until 
I read it I had no idea that  a total of 504 atomic devices had been 
tested since the 1950s. There may be more because the  recent Pakistan 
tests are not shown on the figure provided in the article. In addition I 
just learned that in addition to these atmospheric tests there were 137 
underground tests in the Pacific at Mururoa. It's no wonder that 
radioactive by-products of these tests are still widely distributed and 
will remain with us for many years to come. They have even been detected 
in very small amounts in post 1950s coral growth bans here in the 
Florida Keys. The question is will cooling water leaking from Fukushima 
become a problem as significant as fallout  from atmospheric testing. I 
do not know but I hope we do not become overly hysterical. Gene

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No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
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E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
College of Marine Science Room 221A
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158
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