New leak of radioactive water found at Fukushima

Japan’s tsunami-stricken nuclear power plant is leaking highly radioactive water into the sea, nuclear safety officials said.

Japan’s tsunami-stricken nuclear power plant is leaking highly radioactive water into the sea, nuclear safety officials said.

The plant has been expelling radioactivity since March 11, when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami knocked out power, disabling cooling systems and allowing radiation to seep out of the overheating reactors.

The water was today seeping from a newly discovered crack in a maintenance pit on the edge of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear site into the Pacific Ocean, Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama said.

Measurements show the air immediately above it contained 1,000 millisieverts of radioactivity. Exposure to 500 millisieverts over a short period of time can increase the long-term risk of cancer.

But experts say radiation is quickly diluted by the vast Pacific and that even large amounts have little effect.

The new crack was apparently caused by the quake and may have been leaking since then, said spokesman Osamu Yokokura of Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), which runs the plant.

Higher-than-normal radioactive iodine-131 was first detected in waters off the plant more than a week ago. New readings released on Monday showed the contamination was spreading.

Officials have said repeatedly that the area is not a source of seafood and the risk of seafood contamination is low, but several countries have ordered special inspections or bans on fish from areas near the plant.

Tepco was pouring concrete to seal the eight-inch (20-centimeter) crack, spokesman Takashi Kurita said.

Damage to the plant’s reactor cores from overheating is thought to be extensive, ranging from about 25% to 70%, according to a Tepco spokesman who declined to be named.

Radiation concerns have rattled the Japanese public, already struggling to return to normal life after the earthquake-generated tsunami.

Three weeks later, more than 165,000 people are living in shelters, while 260,000 households still do not have running water and 170,000 do not have electricity.

Thousands of families are also still awaiting news of their loved ones. More than 15,500 people are still missing after the disaster, which officials fear may have killed some 25,000 people.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan made his first visit to the coastal area where dozens of villages, towns and cities where pulverised.

Dressed in the blue work clothes that have become almost a uniform for officials, Mr Kan stopped in Rikuzentakata, where the town hall is one of the few buildings still standing. All its windows are blown out and a tangle of metal and other debris is piled in front of it.

The prime minister bowed his head for a minute of silence in front of the building. He met the town’s mayor, whose 38-year-old wife was swept away in the wave and has been missing since.

“The government fully supports you until the end,” Mr Kan later told the 250 evacuees at a school serving as an evacuation centre.

Megumi Shimanuki, who is living with her family in a similar shelter, 100 miles (160 kilometres) away in Natori, said Mr Kan did not spend enough time with people on the ground.

“The government has been too focused on the Fukushima power plant rather than the tsunami victims,” said the 35-year-old. “Both deserve attention.”

It is not clear whether workers who have been rushing to bring the reactors under control have been exposed. People living within 20kms of the Fukushima plant have been evacuated.

Mr Nishiyama said officials will check the level of radiation in sea water near the reactor and about 15kms away from it. They will use concrete to seal the 20cm crack and try to stop the radiation from leaking.

“This could be one of the sources of seawater contamination,” Mr Nishiyama said. “There could be other similar cracks in the area, and we must find them as quickly as possible.”

Over the past week, radioactivity beyond the legal limit has been detected in seawater just off the plant.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster
Child, 8, the only survivor as 45 killed in South Africa bus crash Child, 8, the only survivor as 45 killed in South Africa bus crash
Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited