The Japanese government on Monday accepted Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s measurements of radioactive material that escaped into the sea from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Japanese regulators released a summary of samples taken in early April at various distances from seawater intakes at the plant. It concluded that TEPCO’s earlier estimates were correct, and that levels of radioactive elements including cesium and iodine were detected in seawater at up to 20,000 times allowed levels while water leaked from tunnels near unit 2.
Levels dropped considerably when cracks in the tunnels were sealed April 5. According to the report approved by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, currents will carry the pollutants offshore and dilute them to levels that do not threaten human health. Crews have installed a silt barrier inside the artificial harbor at the plant and have dropped bags of zeolite near intake valves to absorb contaminants. They’ve also placed a metal barrier in front of unit 2’s seawater intake.
Environmental remediation will be a costly challenge for TEPCO – and inevitably the Japanese government – for years. In response to the crisis, the utility announced Monday that it would halve the compensation paid to its president, chairman, and top executives. According to Reuters, a TEPCO regulatory filing indicates the average salary for directors at the company was $452,000 last year.