Radioactive Kelp Found On California Coast

Radioactive particles released in the nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan in March 2011 have been detected in giant kelp along the California coast, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Radioactive iodine was found in beds of kelp along the coast from Laguna Beach to Santa Cruz, according to a study by two marine biologists at Cal State Long Beach.

They wrote that the radioactive particles were released into the atmosphere from the Fukushima nuclear power facility following the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the region. They were blown across the Pacific Ocean and likely were deposited into the ocean during a period of heavy rain after the meltdown.

The radioactive particles could enter the food chain when the kelp is consumed by crustaceans and fish.