Radioactive Cesium in Seawater Inside Silt Screen Turns Up Slightly at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant

I thought I hadn't seen TEPCO's press releases on radioactive materials measurements at water intake canals and subdrains at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant for some time. It turns out the data has been moved to a separate page "Result of Radioactive Nuclide Analysis around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station".

Here are couple of charts from the latest (4/28/2012) data. The cesium densities in the seawater inside the silt screen for Reactor 2 and Reactor 3 have been turning up slightly. For the seawater inside the Reactor 2 silt screen, it could be within the normal fluctuation. The rise in the cesium density in the seawater inside the Reactor 3 silt screen looks rather persistent and sharp, but that could also be within the normal fluctuation in the longer time frame. Note the unit is becquerel/liter.

Seawater inside Reactor 2 silt screen:

Seawater inside Reactor 3 silt screen:

Checking the sub-drain pits, only the Reactor 1 sub-drain and Reactor 2 sub-drain show significant numbers. Here, the unit is becquerel/cubic centimeter.

Reactor 1 sub-drain:

Reactor 2 sub-drain:

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: 1.6 Million Bq/Kg of Cesium from Ocean Soil In Front of Water Intake for Reactors

(Update) OH WAIT A MINUTE.... The information says "... becquerels/kg of WET SOIL. The density will be way higher in DRY SOIL. TEPCO does not provide information on the water content in the samples.

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730,000 becquerels/kg of cesium-134, and 870,000 becquerels/kg of cesium-137 from the ocean soil in front of the water intake for Reactors 1 through 4, south side.

The north side is also high, with 640,000 becquerels/kg of cesium-134 and 760,000 becquerels/kg of cesium-137 (total 1.4 million becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium).

They must have analyzed for other nuclides but they are not saying yet.

From TEPCO's handout for the press on December 1, 2011 (Japanese only):



Photos of sample collection, from the same handout:

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