TEPCO's new estimate on how much radioactivity was released from Japanese plants

[thewiseguy]

TEPCO is the Japanese power company running the nuke plants and managing the disaster. They have released numbers estimating the amount of radioactive iodine in all 6 reactor buildings at the time of disaster and how much of that has been released.

Tokyo Electric Power Company estimates that about one percent of the radioactive iodine at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been released since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami damaged the facility.

The company on Tuesday announced the estimated radioactivity levels of all substances at the plant's 6 reactors and fuel storage pools at the time of the disaster.

The estimates are classified under radioactive noble gases, iodine or other materials.

81 million tera-becquerels of iodine-131 are believed to have existed at the plant.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/13_03.html

So do the quick math, 1 percent of 81 million tera-becquerels will be: 810,000 tera-becquerels. BUT...earlier in the day the nuclear agency safety office in Japan had said the following:

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said earlier in the day that 130,000 tera-becquerels of iodine-131 have been released so far.

Conclusion: TEPCO has a figure 8 times the number that the Nuclear safety office had released earlier in the day. This is rather interesting since TEPCO also said on Tuesday that the leak in Fukushima plants may be bigger than Chernobyl.

Either TEPCO's numbers are way off or we have an accident on par or even worse than Chernobyl on our hands.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. oh, I would say

go with the latter

[Fuzz]

2. Reminds me of BP's estimates, always low until they were forced to move up by the evidence.

[PA Democrat]

3. This does not inspire confidence in an industry with little room for error.

[suffragette]

6. Nor does the other info in the article

The company also says that, provided no leak occurred, the level of iodine-131 at the plant had fallen to less than one-hundredth of the pre-disaster level as of Monday.


What does that mean? That they are stil unsure whether a "leak" occurred or not and that maybe -- if it has not occurred -- that the level fallen (and that sounds more like conjecture than measurement).

[spanone]

k&r...

[spanone]

4. k&r...

[Jackpine Radical]

5. Doomsayers, all of you.

Just think how much worse this might be if we didn't know that nuclear power is entirely safe.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

7. Is TEPCO saying that's what *existed* but not necessarily what has been *released* ??

"the estimated radioactivity levels of all substances at the plant's 6 reactors and fuel storage pools at the time of the disaster."

Such a statement does not seem to indicate that it the amount released to the environment (yet). It would also seem to include the radionuclides that are present in reactors 5 and 6 - which were in cold shutdown and not posing any threat.

"The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said earlier in the day that 130,000 tera-becquerels of iodine-131 have been released so far."

This statement solidly indicates an amount that has been released into the environment.

Technically, as stated, both statements could be truthful and correct.
It's just a matter how much has leaked and much remains in the reactor buildings.

[thewiseguy]

8. The article says that one percent of the Iodine present in all buildings has been released

Did the math and it came to 810,000 Terabecequerels. 8 times the estimate of Japans nuclear safety agency earlier in the day.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

9. Gotcha, I thought you compared the numbers directly.

You're right. But keep in mind, becquerels are ALWAYS changing with time.

For example, in terms of becquerels, every 8 days I-131 loses HALF of it's becquerels.
Perhaps that accounts for the drastic difference in numbers.
TEPCO's numbers were at the time of the disaster. NISA's numbers were put out earlier today.
That's a long time for short lived isotopes to disintegrate, leaving MUCH fewer becquerels