The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan in March 2011 led to the release of radioactive elements into nearby coastal waters. The Japanese Government has been continually monitoring radioactivity in seawater and publishing the results. In an effort to verify the accuracy of these results, the Japanese authorities requested the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to undertake joint sampling missions with scientists from Japan. The IAEA team was led by the Director of the IAEA Environment Laboratories, David Osborn.

?