Most people have heard of the Fukushima Diichi nuclear disaster that occurred on March 11th 2011. This catastrophic failure occurred when the plant was hit by a tsunami that was triggered by the Tōhoku earthquake. On March 12th 2011 the plant started releasing substantial amounts of radioactive materials, becoming the largest nuclear incident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. This disaster along with Chernobyl has been the only two nuclear disasters to measure a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Their government says it usually takes several years after radiation exposure for cancer to develop, but as of August 2013 there have been more than 40 children who have been newly diagnosed with cancer in Fukushima. Data from the Chernobyl accident shows that there was a steady then sharp increase in cancer rates following the disaster. It may be too soon to know the full extent of damage. 

On July 22nd 2013, more than two years after the incident, it was revealed that the plant is leaking radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. As of August 20th 2013 it was announced that 300 metric tons of heavily radioisotope-contaminated water had leaked from a storage tank. Six days later the Japanese government took charge of emergency measures to prevent further radioactive water leaks. 

As we start 2014 there are some concerns suggesting tat radiation from Fukushima have hit the West Coast of the United States and is causing major harm to the Pacific Ocean off of California. There is a report from NaturalNews.com that a scientific study found a significant drop off in sea life in the Pacific Ocean. At the same time the people at Deep Sea News are doing their best to debunk these rumors. They state it is not even dangerous to swim off the coast of Fukushima. 

What do you think? Is it safe and people are over reacting? Or is this something that deserves more attention and precaution?