Seventeen dolphins found mysteriously beached near the site of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have died from radiation-induced heart damage, a scientific analysis has suggested.
In March 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns at three of the Fukushima reactors. The ensuing explosions ejected massive amounts of radiation into the air, most of which later settled into the Pacific Ocean. Since then, groundwater has continued to leak into the failed reactors, becoming radioactive from contact with the nuclear material there. Much of this water has made it back to the sea, either accidentally or through deliberate releases by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
