High-level radioactive tritium found in seawater at Fukushima plant port

[Ichingcarpenter]

August 24, 2013

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Concentrations of radioactive tritium in seawater from the port of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have risen between eight and 18 times in one week, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Aug. 23.

It seems highly likely that the contaminated water is spreading into the sea beyond the port.

The latest levels are the highest since June, when TEPCO, the plant operator, strengthened its monitoring after discovering that groundwater contaminated with radioactive materials around the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors was leaking into the sea. The latest concentration levels were still lower than the permissible standards stipulated by the government


According to TEPCO, 68 becquerels of radioactive tritium per liter of water were detected in seawater collected Aug. 19 in the entrance area to the port, which is located some 500 meters from the nuclear plant. On Aug. 12, the concentration in the same area was lower than the limit for detection.


http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201308240067



AS RADIATION LEVELS SOAR IN JAPAN, OFFICIALS RAISE “ACCEPTABLE” LIMITS









For example, if we hear that exposure is “within legal limits” anytime soon, let’s remember this from the Washington Post: “Japan’s Health and Welfare minister had to waive the nation’s standard of radiation exposure, increasing levels of acceptable exposure from 100 to 250 – five times the level allowed in the United States.” In setting limits, they use numbers. In reporting radiation levels, they use modifiers. Not a good sign. - See more at:


http://www.stuarthsmith.com/as-radiation-levels-soar-in-japan-officials-raise-acceptable-limits/#sthash.2yVr1RUS.dpuf


FYI

becquerels vs millisieverts




About the becquerel

The becquerel (Bq) is named after the French physicist A.H. Becquerel. This unit measures radioactivity in a substance. It doesn't consider the type of radiation emitted or what its effects may be. One becquerel equals one nuclear disintegration per second. This is a very small unit, so multiples are often used. These include the:

kilobecquerel (kBq: thousand Bq);
megabecquerel (MBq: million Bq); and
gigabecquerel (GBq: thousand million or billion Bq).



About the sievert

The sievert (Sv) is named after the Swedish physicist Rolf M. Sievert. The unit reflects the biological effects of the ionizing radiation absorbed. It is used to express both the equivalent dose and the effective dose. The sievert is a very large dose of radiation. A more useful unit is the millisievert (mSv). This is one-thousandth of a sievert.




http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/occup-travail/radiation/dosim/res-centre/conversion-eng.php


Anyway.... not good news
but as I always say



Don't Panic.

[darkangel218]

1. You forgot the sarcasm tag after "Don't panic".

[Warren DeMontague]

2. Ugh.

And that's just what we know about.

[MelungeonWoman]

3. I'm going to expose my extreme nuclear stupidity here...

At least I can pronounce it.

At this point wouldn't it be better for it to meltdown? Right now we've got an open festering wound pouring poison into the sea, wouldn't it be better for this to melt down to the center of the earth where it will be far away from living things? Sure, there would be a hole lined with radioactivity but wouldn't that be better than what it going on now?

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. sarcophagus?

This what the Russians did finally in 2007 with chernobyl





?fit=1000%2C1000

[jimlup]

6. That makes the problem worse because

The cores will melt out of the concrete containment buildings and into the groundwater. They wouldn't go all the way to the center of the earth as they would melt surrounding rock which becomes part of molten mass making it lighter so it would become lighter than the surrounding rock before melting far enough down to be out of harms way. This happened at Chernobyl - the rock substance eventually formed is named Chernobylite.

I think the problem that they are facing is that the groundwater here flows to the sea so the radiation isn't contained unless you consider "the sea" with it's biologically sensitive food chain to be "contained".

[MelungeonWoman]

9. Thank you for that explanation.

Your scenario makes a lot more sense than burning a hole to the center of the earth does.

[Katashi_itto]

8. When the main molten mass melts down to the water table, or any large pool of water

you get a massive steam explosion hurling thousands or millions of pounds of radioactive water into the atmosphere.

[MelungeonWoman]

10. Thank you also for expounding on the situation. n/t

[stonecutter357]

7. K&R

[phantom power]

11. FYI, the EPA allows up to 740Bq / liter for drinking water.