Emily
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The article has photos of the debris.
?A Staggering Mess? as Tsunami Debris Hits Alaska Coast Early
Below is an interview done late last year with both an independent marine scientist named Curtis Ebbesmeyer and a NOAA representative. (So far Ebbesmeyer's estimates about when debris would arrive have been more accurate than NOAA's were originally, since NOAA forgot to factor in wind push on floating debris in their original estimates.)
Also NOAA was telling people in WA state not to worry about radiation tainting debris since the Fukushima reactors did not start leaking until 2 weeks after the tsunami. Once again, they forgot about the release of radioisotopes to the air by explosions that started the day after the earthquake and contaminated U.S. Navy ships and helicopters in the area. Most nuclear experts believe that this fallout contamination will have been washed away by waves and rain prior to its arrival, but they at least admit to the potential for radioactive contamination at some point.
And in the interview below, the NOAA representative downplays other toxic debris possibilities, saying they expect most debris to be merely lumber and harmless household items. The photos of the debris in Alaska includes items that look like they could store chemicals of some type, and a nuclear health physicist at Oregon State believes these types of toxins are a realistic concern. She advises using common sense when encountering debris.
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?A Staggering Mess? as Tsunami Debris Hits Alaska Coast Early
by Michael van Baker on April 30, 2012
Gulf of Alaska Keeper, a non-profit organization that estimates it has cleared nearly 1,000,000 pounds of plastic debris from Alaskan coasts over the past 10 years, is reporting ?tons? of what it believes is likely tsunami debris washing up on the coasts of the Kayak and Montague islands. Chris Pallister, president of Gulf of Alaska Keeper, told Alaska?s KTUU TV that ??It?s a staggering mess [...] the magnitude of this is just hard to comprehend and I?ve been looking at this stuff a long time.?
In an email to The SunBreak, Pallister let loose:
"In my opinion, this is the single greatest environmental pollution event that has ever hit the west coast of North America. The slow-motion aspects of it have fooled an unwitting public. It far exceeds the Santa Barbara or Exxon Valdez oil spills in gross tonnage and also geographic scope. (I was in Prince William Sound during the during the Exxon Valdez oil spill and so have a sense of comparison)...."
Below is an interview done late last year with both an independent marine scientist named Curtis Ebbesmeyer and a NOAA representative. (So far Ebbesmeyer's estimates about when debris would arrive have been more accurate than NOAA's were originally, since NOAA forgot to factor in wind push on floating debris in their original estimates.)
Also NOAA was telling people in WA state not to worry about radiation tainting debris since the Fukushima reactors did not start leaking until 2 weeks after the tsunami. Once again, they forgot about the release of radioisotopes to the air by explosions that started the day after the earthquake and contaminated U.S. Navy ships and helicopters in the area. Most nuclear experts believe that this fallout contamination will have been washed away by waves and rain prior to its arrival, but they at least admit to the potential for radioactive contamination at some point.
And in the interview below, the NOAA representative downplays other toxic debris possibilities, saying they expect most debris to be merely lumber and harmless household items. The photos of the debris in Alaska includes items that look like they could store chemicals of some type, and a nuclear health physicist at Oregon State believes these types of toxins are a realistic concern. She advises using common sense when encountering debris.
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