New leaks possible as radioactive levels rise
Source: Agencies |
April 17, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
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Levels of radioactivity have risen sharply in seawater near a tsunami-crippled nuclear plant in northern Japan, possibly signaling new leaks at the facility, the government said yesterday.
The announcement came after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted Japan yesterday morning, hours after the country's nuclear safety agency ordered plant operators to beef up their quake preparedness systems to prevent a recurrence of the nuclear crisis.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the quake, and there was no risk of a tsunami similar to the one last month that crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. Japan has been hit by a string of smaller quakes since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country on March 11.
Yesterday, the government reported that levels of radioactivity in seawater near the plant had risen significantly in recent days. The level of radioactive iodine-131 spiked to 6,500 times the legal limit, according to samples taken on Friday, up from 1,100 times the limit the day before. Levels of cesium-134 and cesium-137 rose nearly fourfold.
The rise could have been caused by the installation on Thursday of steel panels intended to contain the radiation which may have temporarily stirred up stagnant waste in the area, Hidehiko Nishiyama of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said. However, the increase in iodine, which has a relatively short eight-day half life, could signal a possible new leak, he said.
"We want to determine the origin and contain the leak, but I must admit that tracking it down is difficult," he said.
The nuclear plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, also began dumping sandbags filled with zeolite, a mineral that absorbs radioactive cesium, into the sea in areas heavily contaminated with radiation in an effort to reduce danger from the leaks.
Meanwhile, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that a secret plan to dismantle TEPCO was circulating within the government. The proposal calls for putting TEPCO under close government supervision before putting it into bankruptcy and thoroughly restructuring its assets. Most government offices were closed yesterday, and the report could not be immediately confirmed.
The announcement came after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted Japan yesterday morning, hours after the country's nuclear safety agency ordered plant operators to beef up their quake preparedness systems to prevent a recurrence of the nuclear crisis.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the quake, and there was no risk of a tsunami similar to the one last month that crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. Japan has been hit by a string of smaller quakes since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country on March 11.
Yesterday, the government reported that levels of radioactivity in seawater near the plant had risen significantly in recent days. The level of radioactive iodine-131 spiked to 6,500 times the legal limit, according to samples taken on Friday, up from 1,100 times the limit the day before. Levels of cesium-134 and cesium-137 rose nearly fourfold.
The rise could have been caused by the installation on Thursday of steel panels intended to contain the radiation which may have temporarily stirred up stagnant waste in the area, Hidehiko Nishiyama of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said. However, the increase in iodine, which has a relatively short eight-day half life, could signal a possible new leak, he said.
"We want to determine the origin and contain the leak, but I must admit that tracking it down is difficult," he said.
The nuclear plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, also began dumping sandbags filled with zeolite, a mineral that absorbs radioactive cesium, into the sea in areas heavily contaminated with radiation in an effort to reduce danger from the leaks.
Meanwhile, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that a secret plan to dismantle TEPCO was circulating within the government. The proposal calls for putting TEPCO under close government supervision before putting it into bankruptcy and thoroughly restructuring its assets. Most government offices were closed yesterday, and the report could not be immediately confirmed.
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