A new report from the Deep Sea Mining Campaign highlights a major blind spot in the push to mine the ocean floor: unregulated radioactivity. The report says polymetallic nodules and seafloor massive sulphides contain concentrated alpha particle emitters that could be mobilised by mining operations. Unlike natural background levels, the report warns that mining would expose marine ecosystems and food chains to elevated radiation, with no existing research on how this affects marine life or seafood safety. The report comes as the International Seabed Authority debates deep sea mining regulations. It calls for urgent research into how radionuclides would disperse, accumulate in food webs, and combine with heavy metals to create a double threat. Pacific Island communities who rely on seafood are particularly at risk. The authors argue that commercial mining should not proceed until these knowledge gaps are closed.
