Sensors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant have detected a fresh leak of highly radioactive water to the sea, the plant’s operator, Tepco, announced Sunday, February 22 highlighting continued difficulties in decommissioning the crippled atomic station, The Japan Times writes.
The operator said the sensors, which were rigged to a gutter that drains rain and groundwater at the plant into a nearby bay, detected contamination levels up to 70 times greater than the already-high radioactive status seen on the plant grounds.
The higher-than-normal levels of contamination were detected at around 10 a.m. (local time), with sensors showing radiation levels 50 to 70 times greater than usual, Tepco said.
The levels of beta ray-emitting substances, such as strontium-90, measured 5 050 to 7 230 becquerels per liter of water between 10:20 a.m. and 10:50 a.m.
The latest incident, one of several that have plagued the plant in recent months, reflects the difficulty in controlling...
