Once again, there are reports coming from Japan of leaks at the Fukushima nuclear power plant - some two months after TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) declared it stable.
According to TEPCO spokesperson Matsumoto Junichi (surname first), the Dai-ichi (Big One) plant that was first badly damaged in the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 9.0 Magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami, was leaking from a reprocessing unit tank which released beta radiation - the stuff that can cause radiation sickness.
The problem was stopped after workers tightened a few bolts on the tank.
As well, TEPCo says 8.5 tons of radioactive water had leaked out earlier in the week after a pipe came loose at Unit 4, one of Dai-ichi's six reactors. A previous estimate of the leak said only a few gallons had leaked out.
While TEPCO officials are looking into what caused the pipe to become detached, Matsumoto did state it was not due to any earthquakes or after shocks. So, it may just be worker error (my opinion).
The structural integrity of the damaged Unit 4 reactor building has long been a major concern among experts because a collapse of its spent fuel cooling pool could cause a disaster worse than the three reactor meltdowns that had occurred in the weeks following the earthquake.
Files compiled by Andrew Joseph
According to TEPCO spokesperson Matsumoto Junichi (surname first), the Dai-ichi (Big One) plant that was first badly damaged in the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 9.0 Magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami, was leaking from a reprocessing unit tank which released beta radiation - the stuff that can cause radiation sickness.
The problem was stopped after workers tightened a few bolts on the tank.
As well, TEPCo says 8.5 tons of radioactive water had leaked out earlier in the week after a pipe came loose at Unit 4, one of Dai-ichi's six reactors. A previous estimate of the leak said only a few gallons had leaked out.
While TEPCO officials are looking into what caused the pipe to become detached, Matsumoto did state it was not due to any earthquakes or after shocks. So, it may just be worker error (my opinion).
The structural integrity of the damaged Unit 4 reactor building has long been a major concern among experts because a collapse of its spent fuel cooling pool could cause a disaster worse than the three reactor meltdowns that had occurred in the weeks following the earthquake.
Files compiled by Andrew Joseph
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