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Deformed Crab - Radiation from Fukushima Japan?

Tesselator

New member
I've lived at the beach all my life and never seen a deformed crab. Hmm, this makes me think Fukushima is to blame. I guess we'll start seeing humans like this pretty soon. It makes me pretty sad - and pretty mad too when I consider the incompetence on DDI's (TEPCO) and the Japanese government's part. Grrr... :angry: :cry:







There is also a general lack of ocean life along the cost which is a bit unusual for this time of year. :confused:


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kds315

Active member
Suuuure, especially since crabs grow within a few weeks (from March 11, 2011) from egg to adult stage ;) I'm sure this extremely accelerated growth was also caused by that ;) ;)

Nice shot btw.!
 

Tesselator

New member
Not sure what you mean... Unless you're under the impression that the Fukushima event is over or subsided now? It's not you know. It's still dumping EXTREMELY radioactive water into the ocean and surrounding ground water. It's never let up. And the radioactivity has continued to increase and compound since day one until the present. There has been no successful clean-up efforts and no successful stoppage - what-so-ever.

You knew that right?
 

MRfanny

New member
im no crab expert but whats deformed about it? the claws? is it in the process of regrowing a new one?

I am also under the impression that the situation is alot worse than we the general public know it.
 

Tesselator

New member
Yes that's true. If we listen to independent experts and scientists who remain abreast of the situation, Fukushima was already approximately 10 times worse than Chernobyl on the fourth week and has continued worsen daily. If we listen to DDI (TEPCO) or the Japanese government then it's no problem and nothing to worry about. I've kept up on all the events and I could write a short book detailing all the lies, deceptions, and bizarre propaganda efforts that have gone on. Which I don't get really. I mean everyone in Japan is adult enough to deal with the information rationally and we kinda need to know the truth in order to keep our health and deal with the clean-up. Whatever, maybe they're afraid they'll have to pay for everyone or something.

Anyway, yeah, look at his right claw... it's a stump. Crabs molt every few months and sometimes more often depending on age, diet, and species. They take in iodine in fairly large quantities in order to assist the process. This one apparently took in some radioactive iodine (isotope 131 or other - or maybe even some cesium?) and molted out a stub in place of a claw. His next molt might fix it or it might be worse - or he might get eaten by a heron and pooped into a rice field which will be eaten by me or someone I know. Who knows.

But in this shot he's clearly deformed - and I might add not damaged, but deformed. :p
 

Lars

Active member
Not to take anything away from the tragedy and severity of Three Mile Island, Tjernobyl, and Fukushima, but there's plenty of other toxines in the seas that cause mutations.

I live in Stockholm, which is just south of the area which was hardest hit by Tjernobyl downfall (by rain), except for the immediate surroundings to the plant itself. For years wild game and berries were off-limits for human consumption, but we haven't really seen much of an increase in mutation levels in wildlife or vegetation. Likewise, wildlife has taken over the vacated Tjernobyl area, and visible mutations are rare even in moderately contaminated areas.

Moreover, deformed claws among crayfish and crabs is quite common. Quite possibly what you see in the pic is from a fight or predator attack rather than birth defect. Crabs can regrow a lost limb, so it could be a not yet complete regrowth of the right claw.

If you want to point fingers, perhaps take a look at modern chemicals as well.

And the probability for mutation is always higher than zero even in the absence of radioactive and chemical pollution, so a single occurence isn't enough to draw any conclusion. A study of next year's crabs will be much more relevant (and I'm sure there will be plenty of studies in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident).
 

kds315

Active member
Crabs take many months to develop and the disaster in Fukushima happened March 11, 2011, so I would have simply called that posting an over-reaction. Sure, I don't want to play it down, don't get me wrong on that please, but a pure emotional reaction does not help at all.
 

Tesselator

New member
Well, it's not a reaction at all in the sense I think you mean, so I can't count it as an over-reeaction or a pure emotional reaction either.

Crabs regenerate their exoskeleton every 1 to 3 months depending on the species, age, diet, and environment. This process is controlled by DNA which we all know to be susceptible to damage from particle and other types of radiation. With this very high rate of cell growth and cell division crabs make fairly good specimens for observing mutagenic function in short and mid-term studies. While I can certainly agree that this deformity could have been caused by any number of things it could also have been indeed caused by radiation leaked or dumped from one of the 6 Fukushima reactors that are (still) leaking and dumping radiation into the oceans. We really can't rule any of the possibilities out without examining the crab.

Anyway, as I stated in the OP "it made me think" Fukushima was to blame. I still think it's a strong possibility.
 
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