Japan: radiactive water flow into Pacific unconfirmed

[News_Editor]

Japan: radiactive water flow into Pacific unconfirmed

2011-03-30 07:46:12 GMT+7 (ICT)

TAMPA, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) -- Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency on Tuesday said radioactive water overflow into the Pacific Ocean from seaside underground trenches had not been confirmed.

On Sunday, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said high level radiation exceeding 1,000 millisieverts per hour were found in water located just 55 meters (180 feet) from the shore in a trench outside the No. 2 reactor's turbine building at the troubled nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

However, TEPCO said the levels of the water have been stable, as it was taking measures to stop the water from flowing out, such as putting up sandbags and concrete blocks around the shaft, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.

The trenches are formed like a tunnel and are connected to the Nos. 1-3 reactor buildings. While one trench has its surface located roughly one meter below the ground, the gutter linked to the No. 1 unit is just 10 centimeters (4 inches) below.

According to TEPCO, the water in the trenches was likely to have come both from the reactor's buildings and tsunami waves that followed the catastrophic earthquake that hit northeastern and eastern Japan on March 11.

People could suffer a drop in the count of lymphocytes - a type of white blood cell - in just 30 minutes at a radiation level of 1,000 millisieverts per hour, and half could die within 30 days if they remained in such a condition for four hours.

On Monday, TEPCO also revealed that plutonium was detected in the soil of the Fukushima plant, describing the situation as "very serious," as it also suggests that the fuel rods have been partially melted. Plutonium is a highly toxic radioactive substance that could increase the risk of cancer.

Despite the plant's operator saying the amount of plutonium in the soil does not pose a major risk to human health, the nuclear agency has ordered TEPCO to increase its monitoring.

Northeastern Japan was devastated by an enormous 9.0-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami earlier this month, killing at least 10,800 people and leaving more than 16,000 others missing. Several aftershocks have continued to shake the country since the March 11 quake.

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