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California Wine Radioactive?
Those who remember the Fukushima incident know that this disaster left nothing but tragedy in its wake. Since then, the inhabitants of the area have had to face more than a few difficulties. This ranges from radioactive wildlife to extremely toxic water and air. But the “difficulties” weren’t confined to Japan. In fact, radioactive particles have made it to the Western United States as many Off The Grid News readers are already aware.
The World Health Organization shrugged it off as a nothing to worry about. However, it’s still not clear what we should be worrying about. Now, researchers have discovered cesium-137 in several Californian wines, leading many to ask: is California wine radioactive? And then, should I cut back to a bottle a day?
Testing The Wine
NCSR performed a few tests on about 20 bottles of California-produced cabernet sauvignon rose from 2009. They found that the wine had an alarming active radiation level. Cabernets had the highest level of contamination. The same team of researchers performed identical tests in different countries around the world. They used the available data to compare the radioactive level in the wine with the grape’s harvesting date. The scientists claim that wines produced around the same time as the occurrence of major nuclear events tend to have a high level of cesium-137. Moreover, cesium-137 is a man-made element.
Concerns Over Cesium-137 Effects: Is California Wine Radioactive?
Although cesium-137 could increase one’s cancer risk, the NCSR considers the level in Californian wines to be “harmless.” In fact, the radioactive levels were so low that NCSR researchers had to burn the wine to ashes literally. If the cesium-137 was prevalent in higher levels, then the researchers’ instruments would’ve been able to measure it through the wine bottle. Also, the California Department of Public Health reported that they hadn’t yet received any health or safety reports related to the wine. A representative of the department stated that they weren’t even aware of the aforementioned study.
From Fukushima To American West Coast
A 2016 report revealed radiation traces from Fukushima’s nuclear disaster showing up in Oregon. However, when researchers took samples, they discovered that it wasn’t at a dangerous level to human health. Nevertheless, this doesn’t take away from the fact that specific effects have been showing up on certain parts of the west coast. This is despite the radiation being considered at a “safe” level. In fact, shortly after the Fukushima disaster, Canadian fish started bleeding from their mouths, eyeballs, and gills. At the time, the government simply waved it off as a passing disease. The disaster also went on to obliterate many native fish species, some of which have since become near extinct. Meanwhile, scientists in Western Canada are seeing year on year increases in the levels of radiation found in the Pacific Ocean. Their measuring instruments have found that radiation has increased by 300% since the Fukushima disaster.
Why Haven’t We Heard About This In The News?
You may not have heard anyone asking the question “is California wine radioactive?” because both the American and Canadian governments have strictly forbidden anyone from even talking about Fukushima, let alone openly reporting about it in public. This is apparently to avoid “mass panic.” As Japanese officials confessed in 2016, the full effects aren’t reported due to a concerted effort to hide the facts from the public.
The Fukushima Disaster
The disaster happened after several of the Fukushima nuclear power plants melted down following a massive tsunami wave. An untold amount of radioactive waste still pollutes the Fukushima region to this day. The most affected victims are the sailors located close to the plant. While the radioactive waste levels in Californian wine are nowhere near the levels in Fukushima, there’s still a chance that it could do irreparable damage in the future. However, there’s just no way to know as of yet what the future effects will be. The world was largely unprepared for the Fukushima event.
