UPDATED: 0850 Hrs EDT 03/27/11
AP is now reporting that TEPCO officials are claiming the radiation readings reported earlier were `a mistake’ and `not credible’. New measurements will be taken, according to this AP report:
Japan: Huge radiation spike at nuke was a mistake
By YURI KAGEYAMA and MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press
When new, revised radiation readings will be made available wasn’t stated.
Stay tuned . . .
# 5452
This morning it is being widely reported that the latest readings from inside the reactor buildings, and the land and sea surrounding the Fukushima nuclear plant, continue to show rising levels of radiation.
In one place in particular – in the basement of the turbine building connected to reactor #2, the levels are being characterized as `extreme’; 10-million-times greater than normal.
TEPCO officials, however, appear to be disputing some of these readings.
Details are scant, but at least one Japanese news source (hat tip Tokyoreporter on Twitter) is carrying a denial of the extreme radiation levels by a TEPCO Vice President .
This report from the Voice of America (VOA).
Radioactivity Soars at Japan Nuclear Plant
Martyn Williams | Tokyo March 27, 2011
Japan says levels of radiation contamination in water inside part of the Fukushima nuclear power plant have increased sharply. Workers at the plant spent the day Sunday on improvements to the water pumping system that is keeping the reactors cool.
The level of radioactive Iodine-134 in water in the basement of a turbine building adjoining the plant's Number-2 reactor spiked to more than 10 million times that of normal conditions.
At that level it is a thousands times more radioactive than water found in the neighboring Number-1 and -3 reactor buildings. It was in the Number-3 building on Thursday that two workers sustained heavy radiation contamination after standing in water without wearing boots.
Government officials and plant operators say they are not sure where the radioactive contamination is coming from. But there is a possibility it is coming from the reactor core.
A second report from NHK World News provides a few more details:
Extreme radiation detected at No.2 reactor
Sunday, March 27, 2011 13:44 +0900 (JST)
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has detected radioactive materials 10-million-times normal levels in water at the No.2 reactor complex of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
<SNIP>
TEPCO says the radioactive materials include 2.9-billion becquerels of iodine-134, 13-million becquerels of iodine-131, and 2.3-million becquerels each for cesium 134 and 137.
These isotopes vary greatly in their persistence in the environment, with radioactive iodine 134 having a half-life of just 53 minutes, iodine 131 with a half-life of 8 days, and cesium 137 with a half-life of 30 years.
The radioactive Iodines will decay relatively quickly, and should pose only a short-term threat (once the release ends), but isotopes such as cesium 137 decay far more slowly, and can persists for hundreds of years.
The measurement of becquerels is a reading of total radioactivity, but doesn’t convert easily to the dose of radiation (sievert) that one would receive if exposed.
Since the `safe’ level of radioactivity in tap water in Japan is set at 300 becquerels per liter, and the water here is being measured in the billions of becquerels per milliliter . . . suffice to say – if accurate - this is an extremely high level of radiation.
Meanwhile, NHK World News is reporting that radiation levels roughly 30 km from the stricken plant (outside of the evacuation radius) are rising as well. These readings, you will notice, were taken last Wednesday.
(NHK News Video Capture)
High radiation detected 30 km from Fukushima plant
Sunday, March 27, 2011 08:53 +0900 (JST)
Radiation levels 40 percent higher than the yearly limit for the general public has been detected just over 30 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
The Science Ministry says a reading of 1.4 millisieverts was taken on Wednesday morning in Namie Town northwest of the plant.
The government has not told residents outside the 30-kilometer radius of the plant to evacuate, or even to stay indoors.
Someone staying outdoors for 24-hours at that location would exceed the annual limit of one millisievert. The limit is based on a recommendation by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.
And lastly, we have this IAEA update indicating that attempts to remove water from the damaged reactor buildings are either underway, or planned.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Update (27 March, 9:00 UTC)
by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 4:51am
According to the Japanese Prime Minister’s office, TEPCO has begun work to remove water that has accumulated in the turbine buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Workers have started to remove water from the Unit 1 turbine building to its main condenser and are making preparations to do the same at Unit 2. (A main condenser’s function in a nuclear power plant is to condense and recover steam that passes through the turbine.) Work to remove water from the turbine buildings in Units 3 and 4 is currently under consideration.
Removal of water from the turbine buildings is an important step to continue power restoration to the plant.
The IAEA is seeking further updates from Japanese authorities on the progress of this process and will update as information becomes available.
