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Fukushima sea radiation much higher
Source: Agencies |
September 10, 2011, Saturday
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RADIOACTIVE material released into the sea in the Fukushima nuclear power plant crisis is more than triple the amount estimated by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co, researchers say.
Japan's biggest utility estimated around 4,720 trillion becquerels of cesium-137 and iodine-131 was released into the Pacific Ocean between March 21 and April 30, but researchers at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency put the amount 15,000 trillion becquerels, or terabecquerels.
Government regulations ban shipment of foodstuff containing over 500 becquerels of radioactive material per kilogram.
Takuya Kobayashi, a researcher at the Tokyo-based agency, said yesterday the difference in figures was probably because his team measured airborne radioactive material that fell into the ocean in addition to material from contaminated water that leaked from the plant.
He believed Tepco excluded radiation that originally came from airborne material. The report does not include cesium-134 as the research group initially lacked resources to measure it.
The March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out reactor cooling systems at Fukushima Dai-ichi, triggering meltdowns and radiation leaks.
Japan's biggest utility estimated around 4,720 trillion becquerels of cesium-137 and iodine-131 was released into the Pacific Ocean between March 21 and April 30, but researchers at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency put the amount 15,000 trillion becquerels, or terabecquerels.
Government regulations ban shipment of foodstuff containing over 500 becquerels of radioactive material per kilogram.
Takuya Kobayashi, a researcher at the Tokyo-based agency, said yesterday the difference in figures was probably because his team measured airborne radioactive material that fell into the ocean in addition to material from contaminated water that leaked from the plant.
He believed Tepco excluded radiation that originally came from airborne material. The report does not include cesium-134 as the research group initially lacked resources to measure it.
The March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out reactor cooling systems at Fukushima Dai-ichi, triggering meltdowns and radiation leaks.
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