The Gulf oil spill leaves traces on N.L. birds

A researcher of the bird was found his return to a major nesting colony South of Saint-Jean fous of gannets are doing well despite concerns that a massive oil spill that began in the Gulf of the Mexico, a year ago dramatically in population in the region.

Crazy Gannet six colonies in Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec migrate to winter in the Gulf each year.

Bill Montevecchi, a researcher from Memorial University, which was followed by voyage of birds for the Gulf of the Mexico, to return, said Tuesday of the hundreds of gannets were probably killed by oil spilled after the explosion of a drilling platform on 20 avril2010.

A year later to the colony in the Bay of St. Mary, Montevecchi said that he believed that some of the thousands of birds that return to the province to lay a single egg each year have been damaged by the spill of the signs.

He said: "We believe that we have seen a few birds which had a few spots of oil on them on there.".

Despite some signs of oil, Montevecchi said he is optimistic for the future of the colony, but he would keep an eye on what happens in the future.

It is still not clear what impact returning to the Gulf of the Mexico, year after year will have on these birds.

"I feel really good." I have a real problem for what happened, and we should reduce these occurrences, "stated Montevecchi." "It could have effects population."

Scientists who have studied the spill of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska suggest that the worst might be over.

Wildlife ecologist Dan Esler, with the Centre for ecology of fauna in Delta, British Columbia Colombia, found this residual persistent oil from spills continues to appear in Harlequin ducks.

"These affects has had a trickle-down effect sort of demographic before ten years after this.". "If a decade after the oil has been spilled, we had not seen a full recovery", he said.

Esler, said it could take years or even decades to know the real environmental toll on the Gulf spill.

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Rain in U.S. Carrying Traces of Japan Radioactivity

 Levels of radioactive Iodine 131 was detected in rainwater collected in Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The EPA has stepped up monitoring of precipitation, drinking water and other potential exposure routes for radiation.

Traces of radioactivity from damaged nuclear power facilities in Japan have been detected in rainwater in the northeast United States, but pose no health risks, officials said.

Ohio reported elevated radiation levels in precipitation on Monday, after Environmental Protection Agency monitors found similar instances in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio said they detected tiny amounts of Iodine 131 from Japan in rainwater collected from the roof of a campus building.

"In theory, the Iodine 131 could have come from any radioactive waste processing facility," said geology professor Gerald Matisoff, who monitors rainwater that is carried into Lake Erie for the EPA.

"But, we know it's from Japan. The isotope is being seen worldwide."

Matisoff "estimated the level of radiation is about one-tenth that of natural background radiation," the university said in a statement.

The EPA, in an update Sunday, said it had received reports of "elevated levels of radiation in recent precipitation events" in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and that it was "reviewing this data."

The EPA has been monitoring radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, and had previously detected "very low levels of radioactive material" in the United States, while saying that these "were expected" and that "the levels detected are far below levels of public health concern."

"Elevated levels of radioactive material in rainwater have been expected as a result of the nuclear incident after the events in Japan since radiation is known to travel in the atmosphere," the EPA added.

The agency has stepped up its monitoring of precipitation, drinking water, and other potential exposure routes for radiation as a precaution.

Last week, EPA cited "minuscule levels of an isotope that were consistent with the Japanese nuclear incident," that also posed no "concern for human health."