TV: It’s a “record-high” leak at Fukushima, extraordinarily radioactive — Almost 8,000,000 times limit — Even more toxic since it was from early in disaster — Alarm went off 9 hours before, but disregarded — Now checking for other leaks — “News came as a shock” (VIDEO)
ENE News
NHK, Feb. 20, 2014: Record-high tainted water leak at Fukushima plant [...] the leaked water contained an extraordinarily high 230-million becquerels per liter of beta-ray emitting substances, consisting mainly of strontium 90. The level is about 7.6 million times the government’s permissible standard [...] the highest level of radioactive substances detected so far in the series of tank leaks at the site. [...] Officials say they managed to stop the leak [...] 6 hours after the problem was first discovered. [...] The Nuclear Regulation Authority has instructed TEPCO to check other tanks for possible leakages.
Kyodo, Feb. 20, 2014: More than nine hours before the leak was recognized, an alarm indicating a rise in the tank’s water surface level was issued. But workers thought the device was out of order and also could not find leaks when they patrolled the area [...]
NHK, Feb. 20, 2014: [Tepco] found the water contained 240 million becquerels per liter of beta-ray emitting substances, including strontium. [...] an alarm went off more than 9 hours before the leak was spotted, signaling an increase in the tank’s water level. But the tank’s water-level gauge showed a sharp drop, leading workers to believe that the alarm sounded due to the malfunction of the gauge.
AP, Feb. 20, 2014: [Tepco] said the leak involved partially treated water from early in the disaster at the plant, meaning it was more toxic than previous leaks.
Al Jazeera, Feb. 20, 2014: Leaked water is almost 8 million times [legal limit for ocean release].
Tepco: “We think that the amount that leaked out of the barrier is 100 tons [...] As far as we have confirmed at this point there’s no drain nearby [...] We think there’s been no leak into ocean.”
Masakazu Yabuki, head of Fukushima Pref. fishermen’s group: “This news came as a shock.”
Published: February 20th, 2014 at 9:54 pm ET
By ENENews