Radiation too high for workers
Source: Agencies |
April 19, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ROBOTS sent to explore buildings inside Japan's crippled nuclear reactor came back with disheartening news yesterday: Radiation levels are too high for repair crews to go inside.
Nevertheless, officials remained hopeful they can stick to their freshly minted "road map" for cleaning up the radiation leak and stabilizing the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant by the end of the year.
"Even I had expected high radioactivity in those areas. I'm sure (plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co) and other experts have factored in those figures when they compiled the road map," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
Officials said radiation had spiked in a water tank in Unit 2 and contaminated water was discovered in other areas of the plant, underscoring the growing list of challenges facing TEPCO in cleaning up and containing the radiation.
Angry at the slow response to the crisis and to the earthquake and tsunami that caused it, lawmakers tore into Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
"You should be bowing your head in apology. You clearly have no leadership at all," Masashi Waki, a member of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, shouted at Kan.
"I am sincerely apologizing for what has happened," Kan said, stressing the government was doing all it could to handle the unprecedented disasters.
Workers have not been able to enter the reactor buildings at the plant since the first days after the cooling systems were wrecked by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 27,000 people dead or missing.
On Sunday, a plant worker opened an outer door to one of the buildings and two Packbots, which move on tank-like treads, entered.
After the worker closed the door, one robot opened an inner door and both rolled inside to take readings for temperature, pressure and radioactivity. They later entered a second building.
The robots reported radioactivity of up to 49 millisieverts per hour inside Unit 1 and up to 57 inside Unit 3, too high for workers to enter.
The radioactivity must be reduced, possibly with the removal of contaminated debris and stagnant water, before repair crews would be allowed inside, said Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official Masataka Yoshizawa.
Sturdier robots can remove some of the debris, but workers are needed to test the integrity of the equipment and carry out electrical repairs.
"What robots can do is limited, so eventually, people must enter the buildings," TEPCO official Takeshi Makigami said.
Nevertheless, officials remained hopeful they can stick to their freshly minted "road map" for cleaning up the radiation leak and stabilizing the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant by the end of the year.
"Even I had expected high radioactivity in those areas. I'm sure (plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co) and other experts have factored in those figures when they compiled the road map," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
Officials said radiation had spiked in a water tank in Unit 2 and contaminated water was discovered in other areas of the plant, underscoring the growing list of challenges facing TEPCO in cleaning up and containing the radiation.
Angry at the slow response to the crisis and to the earthquake and tsunami that caused it, lawmakers tore into Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
"You should be bowing your head in apology. You clearly have no leadership at all," Masashi Waki, a member of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, shouted at Kan.
"I am sincerely apologizing for what has happened," Kan said, stressing the government was doing all it could to handle the unprecedented disasters.
Workers have not been able to enter the reactor buildings at the plant since the first days after the cooling systems were wrecked by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 27,000 people dead or missing.
On Sunday, a plant worker opened an outer door to one of the buildings and two Packbots, which move on tank-like treads, entered.
After the worker closed the door, one robot opened an inner door and both rolled inside to take readings for temperature, pressure and radioactivity. They later entered a second building.
The robots reported radioactivity of up to 49 millisieverts per hour inside Unit 1 and up to 57 inside Unit 3, too high for workers to enter.
The radioactivity must be reduced, possibly with the removal of contaminated debris and stagnant water, before repair crews would be allowed inside, said Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency official Masataka Yoshizawa.
Sturdier robots can remove some of the debris, but workers are needed to test the integrity of the equipment and carry out electrical repairs.
"What robots can do is limited, so eventually, people must enter the buildings," TEPCO official Takeshi Makigami said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
