Fukushima radiation caused serious damage to wildlife: Study

A series of studies on the biological impact of the Fukushima disaster on non-human organisms has revealed that the radiation has affected the population, genetic makeup and the repair mechanisms of birds, monkeys, butterflies, and other insects to cope with the exposure.

Pale grass blue butterfly, one of the most common butterfly species in Japan, collected from the site of the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan showed size reduction, slowed growth, high mortality and morphological abnormality. Butterflies that were bred in the laboratory with parents collected from the contaminated site also showed similar genetic damages.

The report said that the radiation exposure has affected the population censuses of birds, butterflies, and cicadas adversely.

However, the study also pointed out that detailed analyses focused on these species could provide crucial clues for predicting recovery period for wild communities affected by the disaster and for any other site affected by nuclear accidents in future.