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360 liters of radioactive water leaked from Fukushima plant – TEPCO
Toxics Link Source: RT Question More, Date: , 2013
At least
360 liters of radioactive water have leaked from a desalination unit at the
Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, TEPCO has revealed. Earlier, elevated levels
of cancer-causing radioactive isotope were discovered in the plant’s
groundwater.
Tokyo
Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the owner of the wrecked plant, said it had
suspended operations at the desalination unit early Friday after the leak was
detected, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported.Â
The
affected unit is used to remove salt from contaminated water after radioactive
materials have been filtered out.Â
The
leaked water is being contained within the complex, TEPCO added. The company
did not reveal precise radiation levels, but confirmed that levels in the
surrounding areas had not significantly changed.Â

The new
leak is the latest in a series of problems faced by the Fukushima Daiichi
Nuclear Power plant. The facility suffered a reactor meltdown and released
radiation following the 9.0-magnitude Tokohu earthquake – the most powerful
recorded earthquake to ever hit Japan – which struck off the coast of the
country on March 11, 2011.
The
earthquake unleashed a tsunami with waves of up to 14 meters high (the plant
was designed to withstand up to 5.7-meter waves) that knocked out the emergency
generators required to cool the reactors, causing a meltdown. The substances
released in the aftermath of the meltdown were not absorbed by the soil, and
have trickled underground.
On Wednesday, TEPCO revealed test results showing levels of
cancer-causing radioactive isotope strontium-90 in the groundwater at 30 times
the allowable rate, along with tritium at around eight times the permitted
level.
Another discharge of contaminated water was
discovered in the beginning of June, and radioactive caesium was detected in
groundwater flowing into the plant, contradicting an earlier finding that
contamination levels around the facility were negligible.
Earlier in April, leaks were also discovered in the
plant’s underground storage tanks, prompting TEPCO to speed up the construction
of stronger above-ground containers.
About 400
tons of groundwater flow daily into the reactor buildings, where it is mixed
with the highly contaminated water used as coolant for the melted fuel. The
contaminated groundwater is thought to be contained by the plant’s concrete
foundations and steel sheets, with gaps plugged by a material known as ‘liquid
glass’ that solidifies to prevent the flow of contaminated groundwater.
The power
company is seeking approval for its plan to dump 100 tons of groundwater a day
from the plant into the sea, which requires the consent of local fishermen, who
strongly oppose the idea.
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