Potential leaks of groundwater at Fukushima Daiichi with contamination levels as high as those recorded early in the crisis dominated the news from Japan this week.
Recent developments related to the Tokyo Electric Power Co. nuclear plant blacked out following the country's devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami include:
Highly Contaminated Water Still Present in Pits
TEPCO has measured radiation in tunnels at extremely high levels while acknowledging that plans to seal them off from flooded buildings were never completed. Last weekend, TEPCO said water samples from a pit outside unit 2 contained cesium-134 at 750 million becquerels per liter, cesium-137 at 1.6 billion becquerels per liter and tritium at 8.7 million becquerels per liter. TEPCO believes the water seeped into the pit through cracks in the turbine building basement early in the crisis. At that point, leaks reaching the sea prompted the utility to plug the hole with concrete and other material. High contamination levels in recently dug test wells, though, suggest high-dose water has continued to move through the ground, potentially into the ocean. The Asahi Shimbun reported this week that TEPCO did not complete measures laid out in 2011 to seal off the turbine building, citing technical difficulties. Efforts to that end restarted this summer.
Longer Stays Allowed for Some Evacuees
For the first time since the accidents, residents evacuated from the Miyakoji district of Fukushima Prefecture will be allowed to stay in their homes for months at a time. Under a program that began Friday, residents of the district, which is within 20 kilometers of the plant, will be able to stay there for up to three months. Even though dose rates have fallen in the area, the Mainichi Daily News reported only 28 of 119 eligible households have signed up.