The environmental impacts are already becoming apparent, with studies showing: High radiation concentrations in new leaves, and at least in the case of ced

The environmental impacts are already becoming apparent, with studies showing: High radiation concentrations in new leaves, and at least in the case of cedar, in pollen; apparent increases in growth mutations of fir trees with rising radiation levels; heritable mutations in pale blue grass butterfly populations and DNA-damaged worms in highly contaminated areas, as well as apparent reduced fertility in barn swallows; decreases in the abundance of 57 bird species with higher radiation levels over a four year study; and high levels of caesium contamination in commercially important freshwater fish; and radiological contamination of one of the most important ecosystems – coastal estuaries.