#Fukushima II's Contaminated Water: Cobalt-60, Cesium-134, Cesium-137

More on the earlier post on 3,000 tons of contaminated water at Fukushima II Nuke Plant.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (1:28PM JST 6/8/2011):

東京電力は８日、福島第二原子力発電所の原子炉建屋などの地下階にたまった低濃度汚染水約３０００トンについて、浄化処理をした後、海へ放出する方針で、関係省庁や地元自治体と相談を始めたことを明らかにした。

TEPCO disclosed on June 8 that it has entered into negotiations with the government agencies and local municipalities to treat the contaminated water in the basements of the buildings at Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant and release it into the ocean.　

同原発では、津波で流れ込んだ海水に、配管類のさびなどから出たとみられる放射性物質のコバルト６０や、約１０キロ北 の福島第一原発から飛来したと考えられるセシウム１３７、１３４などが混ざった汚染水がたまっている。汚染濃度は、海への放出が認められている濃度限界の １０～３０倍程度。

The water is from the tsunami [on March 11], and it contains radioactive cobalt-60 which probably came from the rusty pipes, and cesium-137 and cesium-134 which are considered to have flown from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant 10 kilometers north. The level of contamination is 10 to 30 times the limit allowed for the discharge into the ocean.

Mainichi Shinbun Japanese reports the level of radioactive materials is "normal" for a nuclear plant during the normal operation.

Hmmm. So, in a normal operation, radioactive cesium will fly from a nearby nuke plant and somehow land on the basement of the enclosed reactor building. Right.

TEPCO's press release on the subject is not up yet.

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