Japan lowers Fukushima contamination estimate

[FBaggins]

Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission has revised downward the estimated amount of radioactive substances released from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The commission now judges that 570-thousand terabecquerels of radioactive iodine 131 and cesium 137, about 10 percent less than its earlier estimate, leaked from the plant between March 12th and April 5th. The commission put the total at 630-thousand terabecquerels in April.

The new figure was obtained by analyzing freshly released data on radiation levels measured at monitoring posts and amounts of radioactive materials in the air.
The commission also believes that leakage of radioactive substances peaked from 1 PM to 5 PM in the afternoon of March 15th when explosions occurred at reactors No. 2 and No. 4. The timing is not much different than the commission's initial estimate, but the new figures revise downward the amount of radioactive substances released during the period by 60 percent.

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency is expressing confidence in its new estimates, saying they are not largely different from earlier ones and are nearly consistent with changes in radiation measurements.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/23_11.html

[Harmony Blue]

1. Too many reports released the last few

days contradict this report. In my honest opinion, it is hard to gauge the truth based on the misinformation happening currently.

[FBaggins]

3. Can you provide an example of one of those contradictions?

This is by no means a small figure.

[truebrit71]

2. Oh so it's all tickety-boo is it?

Yeah, pull the other one mate, it's got bells on...:eyes:

I wouldn't believe those lying sods if they said water was wet...

[subterranean]

4. Whew, what a relief.

It was only 570,000 terabecquerels. :sarcasm:

(in other words, 570 quadrillion becquerels)

[FBaggins]

5. Exactly.

Which is why I find the reaction a bit odd. It's not as if the number is a good thing. It DOES contradict the "Chernobyl on steroids" BS, but that ship sailed months ago.

[Karenina]

6. They're LYING. n/t

[CJvR]

7. About...

...1% of Chernobyl.

That is, well not good news but certainly less bad.

[FBaggins]

8. Closer to ten times that IIRC

Chernobyl is usually estimated at about 5+ Million TBq.

[CJvR]

9. Hmmm...

I thought the Chernobyl accident spat out 50.000+ PBQ.