Tons of radioactive water leaks from Japan plant
Iran Press TV
Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:12AM GMT
About 100 tons of water containing high levels of radioactive material has leaked at the damaged Japanese nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station made the announcement on Thursday.
The leaked water contained 230 million becquerels per liter of beta-ray emitting substances, consisting mainly of strontium 90.
The level is about 7.6 million times the government's limit for nuclide water allowed to be released into the ocean.
The cause of the leak is still under investigation, said Tokyo Electric spokesman Masaaki Fukai. He, however, said it was likely to have been caused by a faulty valve in the pipes that transfer water from a decontamination facility to storage tanks.
On March 11, 2011, a nine-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that inflicted heavy damage on the six-reactor Fukushima plant. The cooling systems of the plant's reactors were knocked out, leading to meltdowns and the release of radioactive material.
HN/HMV
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