High radioactivity levels at No.1 reactor 2.9 million beq cesium137 per cubic centimeter
High radioactivity levels at No.1 reactor
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has reported high levels of radioactive substances in water that has accumulated in the basement of its Number 1 reactor.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says a water sample taken from the reactor building's basement on Friday contained 2.5 million becquerels of radioactive cesium-134 per cubic centimeter. It also detected 2.9 million becquerels of cesium-137 and 30,000 becquerels of iodine-131.
The levels are almost the same as those already measured in contaminated water in the basement of the Number 2 reactor's turbine building.
Water contaminated with highly radioactive substances has flooded the reactor building's basement, apparently after leaking from holes created in the reactor's pressure and containment vessels in the fuel meltdown.
Under the utility's plan to bring the plant under control, a circulatory cooling system is to be installed to decontaminate radioactive water and use it as a coolant.
TEPCO says it will examine ways to decontaminate the water, as its radiation levels are too high for workers to approach.
Monday, May 30, 2011 22:25 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/30_32.html
Japan is in a pickle our oceans may be too...
It's looking pretty damned grim, all right...
...With these figures and Greenpeace's recent sampling of seaweed, various species of fish and sea cucumbers [http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/marine-life-soaking-up-radiation-along-fukush/blog/35003] off Japan's north-central coast, it's becoming impossible for me to have ANY confidence in Pacific Ocean seafood or other products, ANY more. It's demonstrably Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Coast products for me, or farm-raised or freshwater fish products, or nothing, from now on. (Damn, I'm going to miss quite a lot of my favorite foods... But with the U.S. Government resolved to doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for fear that it will cause a panic, or an economic disruption, or that they'd actually need to, you know, DO something, I can't run the risk of partaking, any more, and I have a feeling that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life very carefully checking labels, contacting companies and berating supposed regulatory and safety agencies.
HOWEVER -- maybe some rare better news is coming: From NHK News...
Seawater purifiers to be set at Fukushima plant
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will install equipment to purify highly radioactive seawater intakes.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it will start work on purifiers, which use the mineral zeolite to absorb
radioactive cesium.
The utility previously built undersea silt barriers around No.2 and 3 reactors after highly contaminated water was found to be leaking into the sea. But radioactive substances exceeding the government-set safety limits are still being detected both inside and outside the barriers.
(You can read more of this article at NHK's Web site.)
Rick Cromack.
Allen, Texas