Radioactive water outflow into Pacific being stopped - Japan's Tepco

Radioactive water outflow into Pacific being stopped - Japan's Tepco

2011-04-06 05:55:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), which operates the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on Tuesday said the outflow of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean was being stopped with the use of sodium silicate.

Tepco said 1,500 liters of sodium silicate was injected into a pit near the No. 2 reactor to stop the leak where radioactive water had been flowing. The gel-like substance was poured on the areas supporting the leaking pipe and is expected to continue stopping the outflow of radioactive water into the sea as it hardens.

Parts of northeastern Japan were devastated by an enormous 9.0-magnitude earthquake off its coast on March 11, generating a large tsunami that struck nearby coastlines and caused the ongoing nuclear crisis.

As of last week, the disaster's death toll stood at 11,734 in 12 prefectures while the number of reported missing people totaled 16,375 in six prefectures. Many of the unaccounted people are believed to have been carried offshore after the tsunami.

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