#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor 4 Turbine Bldg Basement Contaminated Water Rising Rapidly, Cesium Increased 250-Fold from 1 Month Ago

From Yomiuri Shinbun (10:57PM JST 4/25/2011) reporting on the first "joint" press conference of Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Nuclear Safety Commission, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Tokyo Electric Power Company including Mr. Hosono, Secretary General of the Unification headquarters of measures for Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident, which apparently went on and on and on for hours.

"Unification headquarters" - their words and their English translation, not mine. Doesn't that sound awful?

Here's Yomiuri Shinbun, no doubt the reporter jotting down information in the presser as best as he/she could, fighting fatigue:

　福島第一原子力発電所の４号機タービン建屋地下の汚染水について、東京電力は２５日、約１か月前に比べ、放射性セシウムで２５０倍の高濃度になっていることを、事故対策統合本部の記者会見で公表した。

TEPCO announced on April 25 press conference of the Unification headquarters for the Fukushima I Nuclear Plant accident that the water in the Reactor 4 turbine building basement at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant has 250 times more radioactive cesium than a month ago.

　３号機タービン建屋から流入している可能性がある。水位も上昇しつつあり、原子炉の安定冷却に向けた工程に影響を及ぼす恐れがある。

It is possible that the water is leaking from the Reactor 3 turbine building [the two turbine buildings share a wall]. The water level is also rising. This may affect the process [outlined in TEPCO's roadmap] to cool the reactors at the Plant in a stable manner.

　東電は２１日に、４号機タービン建屋地下の汚染水を採取し、放射性物質の濃度を測定した。通常運転時の炉水の１０倍の濃度の放射性ヨウ素や、ヨウ 素濃度を上回る放射性セシウムなどを検出。３月２４日に同じ場所で採取した汚染水と比べると、長期にわたり高い放射線を出すセシウム１３４が７８００ベク レル、同１３７も８１００ベクレルで、それぞれ約２５０倍に濃度が上昇していた。また放射性ヨウ素１３１も約１２倍だった。

TEPCO took the sample of water in the Reactor 4 turbine building basement on April 21 to measure the amount of radioactive materials. Radioactive iodine was found 10 times the amount found in the cooling water in the Pressure Vessel during the normal operation; radioactive cesium was found in greater concentration than radioactive iodine. 7,800 becquerels [per cubic centimeter?] cesium-134 and 8,100 becquerels cesium-137 were found, each 250 times the amount found in the sample taken on March 24 at the same place. Iodine-131 was found to be 12 times the amount of the March 24 sample.

　建屋地下の水位は徐々に上昇しており、４月２５日午前１１時で、床から最大１・１５メートルの水深が計測されるなど、前日に比べて５センチ上昇。１週間前に比べて１５センチも増えるなど、水量全体も増加しつつあるという。

The water level in the basement is steadily rising. As of 11:00AM on April 25, the water depth was 1.15 meters from the basement floor at the deepest part. It was an increase of 5 centimeters from the previous day, and an increase of 15 centimeters from a week ago.

　また、３号機タービン建屋地下の高濃度汚染水についても、改めて２か所で濃度を調べ直したところ、１か月前に比べて１・５～２倍以上になっていた。

Water samples were taken at two places in the Reactor 3 turbine building basement that has the highly contaminated water, and the radioactive materials detected in the samples were 1.5 to 2 times as much as one month ago.

Neither TEPCO nor Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has the data posted on their sites, and this Unification HQ doesn't have a website, nor does it release the minutes of the meetings they have had.

Asahi Shinbun says the water in the Reactor 3 turbine building basement is 200 times more contaminated as the water in the Reactor 4 turbine building basement. I suppose Asahi is talking about the amount of cesium, but the article doesn't specifically say. All reporters, MSM and freelance alike, must have been very tired.

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