Tokyo Electric Power Co. will try to stabilize contaminated soil in the Fukushima Daiichi’s manmade harbor, while in the U.S. the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made its first recommendations for new plant safety rules following the accident.
Recent developments related to the reactors severely damaged in a tsunami and plant blackout last March include:
TEPCO Plans to Cover Soil in Artificial Harbor
Testing has shown high concentrations of radioactive contaminants have settled in the mud within Fukushima’s artificial harbor. To keep it from drifting out to sea, TEPCO announced recently that it will cover the mud with layers of material that include bentonite, cement and soil. Special ships to conduct the work arrived Wednesday, according to a TEPCO release. The work is expected to take 3 to 4 months.
NRC Drafts First Post-Fukushima Plant Rules
This week the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff proposed three rule changes for American nuclear plants in response to the Fukushima accident. They include: Requirements for disaster planning that considers emergencies at multiple units, improved instrumentation in spent fuel pools, and “hardened” venting systems at General Electric boiling water reactors with Mark I or Mark II containment, Platts and Reuters reported. The proposal calls for the changes to be made by the end of 2016. The NRC had hoped to finalize the first changes to safety regulations before the first anniversary of the accident.
Thyroid Tests Show Radiation Exposure Limited Among Children Near Plant
Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission recently released the results of thyroid tests from 1,080 children living in Fukushima Prefecture. The Asahi Shimbun reported that tests from 11 of 137 children in Iwaki under the age of 15 showed thyroid radiation doses between 5 millisieverts and 35 millisieverts. None exceeded the 50 millisievert level at which the International Atomic Energy Agency recommends iodine ingestion.