# 5519
Photo credit IAEA
Six weeks after the combination earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan and severely damaged several nuclear reactors we continue to get revised estimates on the amount of radioactivity that has been (and is being) released into the atmosphere.
On April 5th, Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) estimated that the release of radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant as being "less than 1 terabecquerel per hour."
Which would make the daily release somewhat under 24 terabecquerels.
Today the Daily Yomiuri (Yomiuri Shimbun) (h/t Makoto on FluTrackers) is reporting that the NSC revised their estimates over the weekend, raising them to 154 terabecquerels per day as of April 5th.
Or a rate at least 6 times higher than previously stated.
This report from the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Atmospheric radiation leak underestimated
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Data released by the government indicates radioactive material was leaking into the atmosphere from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in early April in greater quantities than previously estimated.
Radioactive material was being released into the atmosphere from the plant at an estimated rate of 154 terabecquerels per day as of April 5, according to data released by the Cabinet Office's Nuclear Safety Commission on Saturday.
The NSC previously estimated radiation leakage on April 5 at "less than 1 terabecquerel per hour."
Given that TEPCO’s plans don’t call for stopping the radiation release for another 2 or 3 months, this is less than encouraging news.
