Lesions and other symptoms associated with sickened or dead ringed seals along Alaska's northern coast last year were probably not caused by radiation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday.
Preliminary screening of tissue samples from both healthy and sick ice seals and walruses showed no radiation levels that would have directly caused the symptoms, the agency posted on its Alaska region website.
Radiation was considered because of the timing and size of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident that followed a tsunami in March 11 in Japan. According to the NOAA announcement, marine animals and fish near the accident site in Japan were affected by radiation but there is no evidence to support any effects on animals in Alaska. (MSNBC)
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