Wednesday, March 30, 2011

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Iodine-131 Is 4,385 Times the Limit in Seawater Near the Water Drain

Jiji Tsushin via Yahoo Japan (in Japanese, emphasis added; 11:19AM JST 3/31/2011):

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)'s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) announced on March 31 that from the water sample taken at 330 meters from the water drain from the Reactors 1 to 4 at TEPCO Fukushima I Nuclear Reactor iodine-131 was detected at 180 becquerel/1 cubic centimeter, or 4,385 times the limit. The Agency is going to increase the sampling points further out in the ocean, and will analyze underground water in the plant compound.

According to TEPCO, fission products from the damaged fuel rods in the Reactors or the Spent Fuel Pools may have entered the sea water. However, TEPCO cannot confirm whether the fission products have come from the water drain, and doesn't yet know how they reached the ocean.

Besides iodine-131, cesium-134 (half-life 2 years) was detected at 783.7 times the limit, and cesium-137 (half-life 30 years) was detected at 527.4 times the limit.

(Original Japanese)
 経済産業省原子力安全・保安院は31日、東京電力福島第1原発1~4号機の放水口から330メートルの地点で30日午後に採取した海水から、国の定める 濃度限度の4385倍(1立方センチ当たり180ベクレル)の放射性ヨウ素131が検出されたと発表した。保安院は、新たに沖合の検査ポイントを増やし、 敷地内の地下水についても分析する。
 東電によると、原子炉か使用済み核燃料プール内の損傷した核燃料棒からの核分裂生成物が、新たに海水に流入したとみられる。放水口からの流出は確認できず、流出ルートをまだ突き止められないという。
 またヨウ素以外にも、セシウム134が783.7倍、セシウム137が527.4倍を検出。半減期はそれぞれ2年と30年で、ヨウ素より長い。 

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