Reactor 'stabilizes' but food contains radiation
Source: Agencies |
March 20, 2011, Sunday
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One of Japan's six tsunami-crippled nuclear reactors appeared to stabilize yesterday but the country suffered another blow after discovering traces of radiation in food and water from near the stricken power plant.
Fire trucks sprayed water for nearly half a day on reactor No. 3, the government said, cooling overheating nuclear fuel rods considered the most dangerous in the ravaged Fukushima Dai-ichi complex because of their use of highly toxic plutonium.
"The situation there is stabilizing somewhat," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
But traces of radiation exceeding government limits were found in milk from a farm about 30 kilometers from the plant in Fukushima prefecture and spinach grown in neighboring Ibaraki prefecture, he said.
Tiny levels of radioactive iodine were also found in tap water in Tokyo, one of the world's largest cities about 240km south, where many tourists and expatriates have already left and where many residents are staying indoors.
The sample contained 1.5 becquerals per kilogram of iodine 131, well below the limit for food and drink of 300 becquerals per kilogram, the government said.
Edano said higher radiation levels still posed no risks. But the International Atomic Energy Agency said radioactive iodine in food can cause short-term health problems.
"Though radioactive iodine has a short half-life of about eight days and decays naturally within a matter of weeks, there is a short-term risk to human health if radioactive iodine in food is absorbed into the human body," it said in a statement.
The government ordered a halt to all food product sales from Fukushima prefecture, where the plant is located, the UN atomic watchdog said.
It was the first discovery of contaminated food since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 18,300 people dead or missing, turned entire towns into wastelands and triggered the world's biggest nuclear crisis in 25 years.
It is likely to heighten scrutiny of Japanese food exports, especially in Asia, their biggest market. Even before the discovery of contamination, several restaurants in Singapore said they were considering importing sushi, sashimi and other Japanese ingredients from elsewhere.
Despite the contaminated food and water, there has been very little radiation found in the air in Tokyo since Thursday, when the city recorded a slight rise that was well below levels considered dangerous to human health.
In a desperate attempt to restart water pumps that would cool overheating nuclear fuel rods and prevent a deadly radiation leak, a 1.5-kilometer power cable was connected to the outside of the mangled nuclear plant yesterday.
Four of the worst-hit reactors in the complex should have electricity by today, Japan's nuclear safety agency said, a potential milestone in efforts to fix the power plant.
Engineers attached the power cable to the No. 2 reactor but have yet to turn on its coolers, and they plan to test power in reactors No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 today, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director general at the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
"This is an absolutely necessary step," he said. "To return the situation to normal we need power to bring the temperature down with normal methods."
Restarting the coolers would be "a significant step forward in establishing stability," added Eric Moore, a nuclear power expert at US-based FocalPoint Consulting Group.
Fire trucks sprayed water for nearly half a day on reactor No. 3, the government said, cooling overheating nuclear fuel rods considered the most dangerous in the ravaged Fukushima Dai-ichi complex because of their use of highly toxic plutonium.
"The situation there is stabilizing somewhat," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
But traces of radiation exceeding government limits were found in milk from a farm about 30 kilometers from the plant in Fukushima prefecture and spinach grown in neighboring Ibaraki prefecture, he said.
Tiny levels of radioactive iodine were also found in tap water in Tokyo, one of the world's largest cities about 240km south, where many tourists and expatriates have already left and where many residents are staying indoors.
The sample contained 1.5 becquerals per kilogram of iodine 131, well below the limit for food and drink of 300 becquerals per kilogram, the government said.
Edano said higher radiation levels still posed no risks. But the International Atomic Energy Agency said radioactive iodine in food can cause short-term health problems.
"Though radioactive iodine has a short half-life of about eight days and decays naturally within a matter of weeks, there is a short-term risk to human health if radioactive iodine in food is absorbed into the human body," it said in a statement.
The government ordered a halt to all food product sales from Fukushima prefecture, where the plant is located, the UN atomic watchdog said.
It was the first discovery of contaminated food since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 18,300 people dead or missing, turned entire towns into wastelands and triggered the world's biggest nuclear crisis in 25 years.
It is likely to heighten scrutiny of Japanese food exports, especially in Asia, their biggest market. Even before the discovery of contamination, several restaurants in Singapore said they were considering importing sushi, sashimi and other Japanese ingredients from elsewhere.
Despite the contaminated food and water, there has been very little radiation found in the air in Tokyo since Thursday, when the city recorded a slight rise that was well below levels considered dangerous to human health.
In a desperate attempt to restart water pumps that would cool overheating nuclear fuel rods and prevent a deadly radiation leak, a 1.5-kilometer power cable was connected to the outside of the mangled nuclear plant yesterday.
Four of the worst-hit reactors in the complex should have electricity by today, Japan's nuclear safety agency said, a potential milestone in efforts to fix the power plant.
Engineers attached the power cable to the No. 2 reactor but have yet to turn on its coolers, and they plan to test power in reactors No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 today, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director general at the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
"This is an absolutely necessary step," he said. "To return the situation to normal we need power to bring the temperature down with normal methods."
Restarting the coolers would be "a significant step forward in establishing stability," added Eric Moore, a nuclear power expert at US-based FocalPoint Consulting Group.
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