Fukushima or fluke: What do we know about Japan’s mutant daisies?

[yuiyoshida]

By Graham Land

It’s been nearly four and a half years since an earthquake and resulting tsunami damaged Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, causing what is considered the most severe nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. A lack of transparency on the part of Japanese government agencies and TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), in addition to continued hazards associated with the damaged plant, have contributed to understandable fears concerning radiation and contaminated water in connection to the Fukushima disaster.

Paranoia or common sense?

Health problems experienced by people in the vicinity of the power plant or virtually anything weird that shows up in the area is likely to be attributed to radiation from Fukushima. Recently this has come in the form of photos of deformed or mutant daisies posted online by residents of Nasushiobara City, located about 115 km (71 mi) northwest of Fukushima Prefecture. Pictures of the daisies can be seen on the website Fukushima Diary.

Like the bees that pollinate these flowers, the Internet has been abuzz with speculation, fascination and fear regarding the mutant daisies and what might be causing their odd development. Naturally, some are attributing the strange blooms to radiation from the still-damaged and Fukushima plant, which has still been reported to be leaking highly radioactive water as recently as February of this year.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/134407/fukushima-or-fluke-what-do-we-know-about-japans-mutant-daisies/

[OldEurope]

1. I remember finding

daisies like those in my garden after the Tchernobyl disaster. Dandelions, too. Until this day, every piece of game in my part of Germany has to be tested for Radiation before consumption.

[newfie11]

2. My instructor in college did this with bulbs

And had some very interesting blooms. Not just the shape of blooms but striking colors.

[hobbit709]

3. didn't someone post this about a month ago.

And this is a quite common phenomenon in many flowers.

[Orrex]

5. Sure--in evil, radioactive mutant flowers!

Next you'll tell me that starfish were melting even before Fukushima.

[longship]

4. This is apparently common and not related. nt.

[Octafish]

6. So, what are the radiation levels in Japan these days?

Anyone know? Does the government publish readings taken at various places around the nation for public review?

Like in the USA, the government of Japan has raised the levels of radiation it considers "Safe." Looks like no one told the flowers.

What does the public say?

[NuclearDem]

7. And the Snopes results are in...

http://m.snopes.com/nuclear-mutant-daisies/

[yuiyoshida]

8. People never read the articles...they skim them it seems ...

"But does any of this mean that deformed flowers that grow in the vicinity of Fukushima are a result of this radiation? Not necessarily.

According to an interview by the Christian Science Monitor with botanist Todd Forrest of the New York Botanical Garden, radiation can certainly cause plant mutations such as seen in the Nasushiobara daisies, but so can many other factors, including (other) environmental toxins, global warming, invasive plants and garden pests. Gardeners notice these types of changes in plants all the time, while ordinary people may not."

[OldEurope]

9. We had those

after Tchernobyl, not before (this was my grandparents garden before I inherited it, so I can tell: no similar deformations since 1949). And after two years all flowers in our garden were normal again. There were no other changes, neither in climate or using toxins or anything else. The only change was: nuclear fallout from Ukraine, 1.374,51 km away. And untill now many wild pigs here are still considered "hazardous waste" because of high radiation.

At that time German politicians, and espacially here in Bavaria, tried to silence all voices that were criticising nuclear power plants. I think this is happening in Japan, too.

[Rex]

10. I don't know what to make of this, however time will tell since

you cannot hide radiation or radiation poisoning. Governments can be as tight lipped as they want to be, the population will speak out against the PTB. The side effects will show.

[NickB79]

11. Meh. I just found one of these in my backyard, in Minnesota

I've seen dandelions with this deformity since I was a kid in the mid-80's.