Record cesium level detected in Fukushima No. 1 groundwater; Tepco blames heavy rainfall

[bananas]

Source: Jiji

A record 264,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per liter has been detected in groundwater at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, Tokyo Electric Power Co. disclosed Saturday.

The sample was taken Thursday from an observation well near reactor 2 reactor of the plant, which was destroyed by the March 2011 quake and tsunami.

According to Tepco, recent heavy rains pushed up the levels of groundwater, causing it to reach soil containing highly radioactive water leaked earlier from the plant’s crippled reactors.

The per liter level of cesium-137 rose to 200,000 becquerels from 190,000 becquerels in groundwater sampled from the same well on Wednesday. The cesium-134 level was unchanged at 64,000 becquerels.

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Read more: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/18/national/science-health/record-cesium-level-detected-in-fukushima-no-1-groundwater-tepco-blames-heavy-rainfall/

[KJG52]

1. Tepco's reliability of reporting is not suspect, because?

No information can be taken at face value from the Japanese government or TEPCO about the events past or present at Fukushima. Unfortunately, the press are not allowed within 25 kilometers of Fukushima and independent scientific evaluation of TEPCO's reactors and the Japanese government's actions in regard to those reactors have been haphazard because of the actions of TEPCO and the Japanese government.

[drynberg]

2. Ahhh, I believe hard rain ain't the main problem...no?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Does the 'why' matter if there's nothing they can do about it?

It is what it is, and it's a direct result of poor decisions made years (decades?) in the past about using nuclear power and placing those reactors where they did, no matter how it's happening.

[JEB]

4. Fukushima deserves more scrutiny.

More scrutiny from the press, from scientists and from government.

[Octafish]

5. Cesium is what they measured.

Wonder what else is in the water?

We'd know, if the governments of Japan and the United States wanted us to know.

Then, we'd have to live in a democracy, rather than under atomic occupation martial law or whatever this is we are living under where Fukushima and WIPP can vent whatever without us getting a little warning, let alone knowing.

[RobertEarl]

7. Oh, c'mon Octafish

They don't think we are smart enough. See, they think one has to be a real - paid by the industry scientist - in order to understand that this could never happen and that it is absolutely safe to run nuke plants. Even when they go boom.

We should just set back and let them run the show. And contentedly be amazed at their fireworks. BOOM!

[Calista241]

10. Cesium 137 is the primary thing they should be looking for.

It's one of the primary byproducts of a nuclear fission. It's not naturally occurring and has a half life of 30 years or so. It is also environmentally damaging and a highly dangerous substance.

The amount of 264k becquerels per liter is not lethal, but it is toxic. Testing for cesium 137 has occurred around the Chernobyl reactor, and occurs all over Europe at regular intervals to determine lingering environmental effects from Chernobyl 28 years after the fact. They still test for it in the South Pacific where we tested our nuclear weapons.

I imagine some independent agency ran the test because i have next to no confidence TEPCO actually knows what they're doing.

[Bossy Monkey]

6. Wouldn't that be a heavy cesiumfall? n/t

[heaven05]

8. drip, drip, drip

[roamer65]

9. I wonder what the Strontium-90 levels are...n/t.

[librechik]

11. Ebola!

more chaos to distract us from the unsolvable.