Strontium-90 Leaks Into Sea In Fukushima

This news item caught my attention over at Japan Today:

TOKYO — Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Thursday that radioactive water containing strontium-90 leaked out of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope of strontium, with a half-life of 28.8 years. Its presence in the human body can cause bone cancer, cancer of nearby tissues and leukemia.TEPCO officials apologized at a news conference for the leakage which occurred early Thursday morning, TBS reported. TEPCO said the leak was from a pipe attached to a temporary decontamination system, and the water had already gone through some of the cleansing process.

Why did this story catch my eye?Strontium-90 was found in Godzilla's footprints on Odo Island in the 1954 Toho classic. Embedded in the footprint, Professor Yamane (Takashi Shimura) finds a trilobite in perfect physical condition. Sand sediment found in the trilobite's shell matched sediment from the Jurassic period, according to Yamane. He goes on to say, "Geiger counter readings of the radiation in this sand indicate the presence of Strontium-90."Perhaps a trilobite or a big lizard loaded up with strontium-90 will show up in Fukushima.To read the full Japan Today article, go here.