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TEPCO admits radioactive cesium in water flowing into Fukushima plant

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Someone. Helps. Tepco. Seriously, they are not able to handle this disaster.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

So ... if water flowing into the plant is already radioactive, how much more for the soil and plants around the area? If I remember correctly, the government is even starting to consider selling rice grown just a stone's throw away from the plant.

Radiation is not something anyone could just scrub off (literally).

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"We'll have to correct the way we analyse sample data" said...a spokeswoman.

Translation: we must find a different way to reach an "everything is fine" result.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Where is the government??

I know they are busy printing money but more than 2 years later its just failure after failure.

The thing is, no one is surprised about this or any other of the findings, there was a massive nuclear power plant meltdown, what is surprising is that they still lie about how bad it is and are allowed to still be in "control" of the situation.

This company is just ridiculous, still they have problems with single points of failures because of animals and weather.. the same kind of lack of foresight and lack of safety that got us into this problem in the first place.

They need outside help, and I would say international outside help at that..

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Follow up analysis showed the groundwater had 0.22 becquerel of cesium-134 per liter and 0.39 becquerel of cesium-137 per liter rather than an undetectable amount,

Before people bombard this thread with "sky us falling" circa 2011, they need to go and check the maximum levels of these. A refresher course sort of speak.

-13 ( +6 / -18 )

Get out you geiger counters and test the food and water again. It seems that the ground water is contaminated. Did think fallout would process into ground water. How do you clean that up?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

TEPCO has by it's negligence,greed and ego threatened a vast amount of the sea as well as the fish/fishermen and who knows what else in the immediate and distant future!

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Ohhh, boy a complete debacle!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The contamination likely comes from fallout from the radiation plume the station emitted during the meltdowns

Or maybe not ! Could very well be recent nuclear fission , after all, they haven't localized (or tell public) where is the corium . TEPCO must release if I-131 is also detected in the ground water. You want to know what is the most scaring ? Is that they do not allow independant labs to monitor, they are totally running on public money but hold every piece of valuable information to the very same public.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Why doesn't Japan just swallow a little pride, admit defeat with the TEPCO fiasco, and reach out to the international community for help. Which I am sure they are just waiting for the chance to help their colleagues in Japan. As humans we are not perfect, and we are prone to mistakes, reaching out for help isn't a sign of weakness, it takes courage and strength to admit mistakes and ask for help. Politicians worldwide in general seem to be exempt from this category, they never admit defeat and just keep on bungling along, making one mistake after another.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Not a surprise. The only people remaining at this company are the morally bankrupt - from the office staff to the engineers to the CEO. They will lie through their teeth to retain their grubby money. Publicly humiliate a TEPCO worker today!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

This is very scary, there are a lot of people living near by, in the areas that the gov has considered safe, who would be subject to any contamination in the ground water. I wish people would be wiser and not wait for the government to tell them to move. Living close by and consuming local is all nice and good to the town but to do that hoping you won't be contaminated is only wishful thinking.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Why not just take all of TEPCO's money, the money of their board of directors and do it for them?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Ah, but hey... let's give them the additional bailout money they 'need' so they can try and get back into the black this year, jack up power costs to customers, and not adequately pay out compensation. Then when the next admittance comes, let's repeat.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

this water contamination isn't high enough to cause any major concerns.

Sure but only on the ground that you believe TEPCO. We are enough familiar now with their strategy, they already revised from "no detectable" to "detectable" , now wait for the next revision.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Everyone keeps saying Japan should reach out to the international community for help. But realistically, at this point in time, what could the international community do to help that isn't already being done at the Fukushima plant? Thousands of workers are still needed at the plant and the international community can't provide those. Also, there would be a language problem if the operation was handed over to foreign experts, leading to misunderstandings and even more dangerous situations.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Zichi, I completely agree. It is time to face reality: The entire area, from the mountains to - and including - the sea, must be considered unfit for any food-related purposes, whether farming or fishing, for about as long as humans can imagine. This is not necessarily a bad thing; like the area surrounding Chernobyl, it can become a magnificent and invaluable nature preserve. To pretend, though, that it can be returned to human service any time within a few generations simply deludes farmers and fishermen who would better work to build new lives in other areas.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/7302/20130604/fukushima-tuna-safe-consumption-radiation-food-minuscule.htm

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I thought Homer Simpson was a fictional character that worked at a nuclear plant, now I'm being to wonder.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Glad I and my family got out a few months after it happened. The move was stressful, but life is not any longer. I hope everyone is safe, but I was not prepared to take any chances with my health.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Wichi-san,

Basically, its all something of an nightmare but with varying degrees and this water contamination isn't high enough to cause any major concerns.

This is probably true but are you sure we can believe them this time ?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Decontamination of surroundings were done by pressure washing plus rains in these 2 yrs. What do you think those particle will go? probably small channels, big channels + ground water and finally to sea. Then it enters fish. Hold on farmers also grow rice using that contaminate water. TEPCO will need some kind of superpower now

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"this water contamination isn't high enough to cause any major concerns."

While it sounds positively delicious that really isn't the issue. It's this constant bungling and revising of results (up, of course) that is maddening.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

TEPCO management, the worst kind of liars - the incompetent ones.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Brainiac: "Thousands of workers are still needed at the plant and the international community can't provide those."

I think what most people are referring to when saying international inspectors should be allowed is for INSPECTION, hence 'inspectors', since clearly TEPCO likes to both try and cover everything up and just try to ignore reality. Foreign inspectors would actually do their jobs, but hey... TEPCO prefers 'private inspections', so it's no wonder we hear every week about how they failed to see this, and failed to do that.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

"But the results were false " nuff said.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Such a joke. Is anyone surprised by this? Japan, wake up! Start demanding the government and TEPCO hand this over to folks with a clue because clearly, TEPCO is so far in over its head it is frightening.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Tepco is ONLY the tip of the J iceberg! I agree with Tmarie! Time for all of Japan to WAKE UP!!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Just another weekly SNAFU coming out of Fukushima from TEPCO. Move along people. Nothing new to see here. And, nothing will every change.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Zichi-san : apologies ! I was using a Japanese keyboard - set to write French...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

smith, quote: "I think what most people are referring to when saying international inspectors should be allowed is for INSPECTION, hence 'inspectors', since clearly TEPCO likes to both try and cover everything up and just try to ignore reality. Foreign inspectors would actually do their jobs, but hey... TEPCO prefers 'private inspections', so it's no wonder we hear every week about how they failed to see this, and failed to do that."

I agree. Tepco would probably not welcome any parallel team working in there, and apart from those translation problems, and the extra bother involved in laying on specialized translation, they would probably seriously limit the amount of information they might be willing to share. There is already a long-established mechanism of information release, (covering their rears) branded into their subconscious, which will prove impossible to unlock, is my guess.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Cross your fingers and watch helplessly as there is no grain of truth in tepco's continuously changing statements on ** radiation levels

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Thanks, zichi. I haven't been there for a long time, so good to know.

For your information, I support the idea of rechannelling the groundwater and releasing it into the sea before it bubbles up into the basements. Since this water should be entering the sea anyway, regardless of the power plant in its path, how can the fishermen complain?

Do they suspect that Tepco might try to mix other 'decontaminated' waters into the by-pass? This whole new ring of frozen rods idea seems barmy in comparison.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

In March 2013, the Japanese utility that owns the tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant said that it had detected a record 740,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in a fish caught close to the plant. That is 7,400 times the government limit for safe human consumption.[8]

The Gov needs to step in and provide some solutions to help Tepco out. Cesium is water soluble => It stays with the water and doesn't precipitate out. =This radioactive water could go all the way around the world. They need to collect it, Prussian blue it (30 days+), then release when the tanks get close to full. ==> this is a huge disaster and is going to take some innovation and $$,$$$,$$$,$$$ to solve it. Even tankers in the sea sorting these radioactive particles out and converting them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

China has been buying lots of bottled water from Japan. It looks like we've just found a new source so now we don't have to send them water from Shizuoka!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It's like we're all just the proverbial frogs being boiled alive slowly. TEPCO started out denying most everything and then released a little bad news. We got used to it and then they released a little more. We got used to that and then they released a little more and so on. Has the water started boiling yet because I'm starting to feel uncomfortably hot?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

...After you've gone? zichi, I hope you are not planning to leave any time soon. Your generally balanced posts are refreshing, helping us to re-focus on the essential facts.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

"It is regrettable" that TEPCO is handling the whole situation at all.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Zichi mght have more data available on radiation from Chernobyl ,the worst nuclear accident at level7. USSR did hide the accident from it's people which became acatalyst for it's collapse.we may put more psychological pressure on radiation exposed population by writing in mass media.In fact,it is proved that low-level radiation may be less dangerous than commonly believed.Yoshihisa Matsumoto, a radiation biologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, cites laboratory experiments on animals to suggest there must be a threshold dose below which DNA repair mechanisms can completely repair any radiation damage.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Shame on Tepco. Watch out next thing to happen It will Blow up .This time because the fuel rods have a malfunction. They though keep insisting the area is safe to farm, oh! hope they are the ones to test the rice first, before putting it on the market and drink the water from the aquifer, Rice with Fish and Seaweed ,All from around the 20 kilometre perimeter of the reactor.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

It is and will always be a problem, lie or no lie , it's not going to go away cleaning just shifts the waste to other locations. The only thing that we can hope for is that it doesn't get worse.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Eat seafood at your own risk.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Why haven't you reported this? http://news.yahoo.com/another-contaminated-water-leak-japans-fukushima-nuclear-plant-072121232.html

0 ( +1 / -1 )

TEPCO's only main operation is to accumulate cash and grow their current 15 trillion yen assets to 20 by all mean. I am not sure this makes them the best candidate for taking care of the Fukushima mess in the best interest of the population.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

TEPCO management, the worst kind of liars - the incompetent ones.

They can be liars, or they can be incompetent. I don't think they can be both at the same time. It requires competence to be able to determine when a lie is needed.

For your information, I support the idea of rechannelling the groundwater and releasing it into the sea before it bubbles up into the basements. Since this water should be entering the sea anyway, regardless of the power plant in its path, how can the fishermen complain?

Ummm... you DO know what "groundwater" is, right? There's no channels that you can "RE-channel". "Groundwater" is water that has permeated porous sections underground. It's not like there's rivers, streams, or lakes there that can be "re-channeled".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Moshi moshi TEPCO! It is time to act as adult and responsible people because you will not be able to hide the real mess for 100 years. There is nothing to recover from Fukushima, thus play fair and transparent. Then you might get some respect and support back to cope with this unprecedented disaster.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

WOW, so many "experts" wanting to save the poor Japanese people because in a hole 100 meters from a triple nuclear meltdown there are "0.39 becquerel of cesium-137 per liter" which is less of the concentration that the whole humanity had in its milk since the `50s!! http://archive.defra.gov.uk/evidence/statistics/environment/radioact/radfallout.htm

It should be considered as a positive thing il you understood the numbers. Eating/drinking 86,000Bq of Cesium gives you an average of 1mSv, so with those 0.61Bq/liters you need to drink 16 liters per hour 24/7 for one year to have... NO radiological effect !

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Why haven't you reported this? http://news.yahoo.com/another-contaminated-water-leak-japans-fukushima-nuclear-plant-072121232.html

Because the headline as well as some of the contents are all screwed up.

The "leak" that's reported on your link is not a leak but a surge of underground water that flow into the reactor building. The said underground water (before it reaches the reactor buildings) was initially measured had neglible readings for cesium due to insignificant amounts. Now, the negligble readings was adjusted to 0.61 bq/L which is essentially what the article is all about. As to the said readings, the United States EPA has a maximum threshold of 7.4 bq/L for Cesium.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

nigelboy

"Follow up analysis showed the groundwater had 0.22 becquerel of cesium-134 per liter and 0.39 becquerel of cesium-137 per liter rather than an undetectable amount"

Before people bombard this thread with "sky us falling" circa 2011, they need to go and check the maximum levels of these. A refresher course sort of speak.

Yup, we are talking nano-sieverts here.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

In order to provide the reactors in Fukushime from the bottom you have the mechanical tunnel. Then insert the two meters in diameter with 20 tubes. , Do the holes from the top and side, and on the bottom line fire resistant ZrO2. For large pipes enter the small tube to remove radioactive leaks or cooling corium had reached there...

http://www.herrenknecht.com/fileadmin/reda...GB_09-12-21.pdf

http://www.herrenknecht.com/fileadmin/reda...GB_08-10-29.pdf

http://www.new4stroke.com/herenknecht.jpg

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Zichi mght have more data available on radiation from Chernobyl ,the worst nuclear accident at level7. USSR did hide the accident from it's people which became acatalyst for it's collapse

Rubbish. First, the dissolution of the USSR had nothing to do with Chernobyl NPP disaster. Second, Soviet authorities evacuated a huge amount of population inside 30 km zone without panic in a few days. Without hysterical leaks in mass-media. Third, the USSR made enormous efforts by building a protective Sarcophagus around a damaged block in 206 days. More than 90 000 personnel, including engineers, technicians, workers were working hard and accomplished their job perfectly. Now compare that to current TEPCO activity. They still have no idea what to do with contaminated water. Amateurs, by comparison to people, who created Sarcophagus.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Stay on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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