Radiation levels near Fukushima reactor hit two-year-high
T K euters adiation levels in seawater just outside one of the damaged ukushima reactors spiked this week to the highest level in two years, the operator of the crippled Japanese nuclear plant said yesterday.
adiation levels on ednesday, the day si workers were e posed to highly radioactive water, jumped 13 times the previous day s reading, the highest levels since late 2011.
massive quake and tsunami hit the power station, operated by Tokyo lectric ower Co., also known as Tepco, in arch 2011, causing three reactor meltdowns and hydrogen e plosions.
Tepco, which is pouring hundreds of tons of water to keep reactors cool, has struggled to contain the build up of radioactive water at the plant.
n the latest incident, a worker on ednesday mistakenly detached a pipe connected to a treatment system, releasing seven tons of highly radioactive water.
The accidents at the ukushima aiichi plant, 220 km. north of Tokyo, are adding to the crisis and stirring doubt over Tepco s abilities to carry out a comple cleanup widely e pected to take decades.
Tepco said combined Cesium-134 and Cesium- 137 readings just outside the damaged No. 2 reactor spiked to 1,200 becquerels per liter on ednesday, more than 13 times the level on Tuesday.
Cesium-134 readings were 370 becquerels per liter while Cesium-137 was 830/litre within a silt fence right outside the reactor building.