Friday, April 15, 2011

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Discharge of "Low" Radioactive Water into Sea Complete, 150 Billion Becquerels of Radioactive Materials Released

And that's only counting Iodine-131, Cesium-134 and Cesium-137.

From TEPCO's press release on April 15, 2011:

As to the low level radioactive wastewater stored at the Central
Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility, we began discharging at 7:03PM,
April 4th to the south of the water discharge channel and finished at
5:40PM, April 10th. After that, at 9:55AM, April 11th, we confirmed that
the wastewater in the building had been discharged sufficiently so that
the preparation work to accept high level radioactive wastewater (such as
water sealing) in the building could be done.

In relation to the low level radioactive subsurface water in sub-drain
pits of Units 5 and 6, we began discharging from 9 PM, April 4th via the
water discharge channel of Units 5 and 6 and finished by 6:52PM, April
9th.

In terms of the discharge of low level radioactive accumulated water to
the sea, as instructed by NISA, we have been conducting ocean monitoring
in a steadfast manner. We have been increasing the number of monitoring
points and the frequency to investigate and confirm the influence of the
dispersion of radioactive substances and have been notifying the result.
The radioactive density monitored at the measurement points including
near the power station did not indicate significant fluctuation in
comparison with the trend one week before the discharge.

The amount of low level radioactive wastewater discharged to the sea
this time was approx 9,070 tons from the Central Radioactive Waste
Disposal Facility and approx 1,323 tons from the sub-drain pits of Units
5 and 6 (Unit 5: approx 950 tons, Unit 6: approx 373 tons). The total
radiation discharged was approx 1.5 x 10^11 Bq.

We evaluate approximately 0.6 mSv of effective radioactive doses per year
for adults as the impact on the discharge of the low radioactive
wastewater to the sea if they eat adjacent fish and seaweeds every day.
The amount (0.6 mSv of effective radioactive doses per year) is one-forth
of annual radioactive dose to which the general public is exposed in
nature. The level is similar to the evaluation we made before the
discharge to the sea.

I suppose TEPCO is only talking about the environmental radiation level, and hasn't heard about "bioconcentration" or "bioaccumulation" (or has chosen to ignore, take your pick).

And "wholehearted apology" from TEPCO at the end:

We wholeheartedly apologize for causing tremendous concern and
inconvenience to all living near the power station and general public for
discharging radioactive water even the nature was an emergency escape.

(Some interesting translation here by TEPCO...) Never mind that TEPCO has irradiated people, plant, animals, fish, all living organisms, which should go beyond concern and inconvenience.

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