#Fukushima I NPP: Data on Strontium in Water Hasn't Been Published for 6 Months, and Will Not Be Published Until TEPCO Figures Out What's Wrong

What's worse is (as usual) TEPCO didn't say anything until now.

What's even worse is that TEPCO is not going to release the data until it fully investigates why the new results differ from the old results.

Nuclear Regulation Authority was openly expressing doubt about the data that came from TEPCO on radioactive materials measurement, and that was about 6 months ago.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (1/9/2014):

東電、ストロンチウム濃度公表せず…測定誤り？

TEPCO will not publish data on strontium density, measurement error?

東京電力は８日、福島第一原子力発電所の港湾や井戸で海水や地下水を採取して調べている放射性ストロンチウムの濃度について、「測定結果に誤りがある可能性があり、公表できない」と発表した。

TEPCO announced on January 8 that regarding the density of radioactive strontium in the sea water and groundwater whose samples are taken from the plant harbor and wells at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, there is a possibility of errors in the measurement results and the results cannot be published.

海水などは定期的に採取して汚染状況を監視することになっており、放射性セシウムなどは毎週、濃度を分析して公表している。しかし、汚染水に含まれる主要な放射性物質の一つであるストロンチウムは、毎月分析することになっているが、昨年６月に採取した海水などの分析結果を最後に、半年近くも公表していなかった。

Water samples are regularly collected to monitor contamination, and the density of radioactive cesium are measured and published every week. Strontium is supposed to be measured every month, but the result of measurement hasn't been published for nearly a half year since the last one for the seawater samples taken in June last year.

東電によると、昨年夏まで使っていた装置の分析結果にばらつきがあり、信頼性に乏しかった。同９月に新たな装置を導入し、信頼性が向上したが、「旧装置と異なる分析結果になった原因を詳しく解明してから、新たな装置による結果を公表したい」と説明している。

According to TEPCO, the measurement results from an equipment used until the summer of 2013 were not consistent and not reliable. TEPCO switched to a new equipment in September and the reliability was enhanced. But TEPCO says, "We would like to investigate first why the new results differ from the old results, before we announce the new results from the new equipment."

Curious to know what kind of "inconsistencies"?

According to TEPCO's own words during the regular press conference on January 8 (well captured by this tweet from @jaikoman), the density of strontium - a beta nuclide - exceeded the density of all-beta, which is impossible.

No other entity is allowed to take measurements of radioactive materials inside the plant. It has been TEPCO's monopoly. It was less than two months ago that IAEA visited the plant and endorsed TEPCO's method of measurement.

Tweet