Meltdown in Japan's Reactors (1 Viewer)

[Politician Spock]

http://www.asheepnomore.net/2013/08/you-wont-believe-whats-going-on-at.html

Tepco Has No Idea How to Stabilize the Reactors

You’ve heard bad news about Fukushima recently.

But it’s worse than you know.

The Wall Street Journal notes that radiation levels outside the plant are likely higher than inside the reactor:

NRA [Nuclear Regulation Authority] officials said highly contaminated watermay be leaking into the soil from a number of trenches, allowing the waterto seep into the site’s groundwater and eventually into the ocean.

***

Both radioactive substances are considered harmful to health. An NRA official said Monday that the very high levels were likely to be even higher than those within the reactor units themselves.

***

It was by far the highest concentration of radioactivity detected since soon after Japan’s March 2011 earthquake and tsunami ….

This thing still going on?

And why exactly would it end?

The media stopped talking about it...doesn't that mean it is over?

Pretty much.

The George Zimmerman situation is far more dangerous than the Fukushima situation.

The media attention always gets it right.

 

[FattyVM]

http://www.asheepnomore.net/2013/08/you-wont-believe-whats-going-on-at.html

Tepco Has No Idea How to Stabilize the Reactors

You’ve heard bad news about Fukushima recently.

But it’s worse than you know.

The Wall Street Journal notes that radiation levels outside the plant are likely higher than inside the reactor:

NRA [Nuclear Regulation Authority] officials said highly contaminated watermay be leaking into the soil from a number of trenches, allowing the waterto seep into the site’s groundwater and eventually into the ocean.

***

Both radioactive substances are considered harmful to health. An NRA official said Monday that the very high levels were likely to be even higher than those within the reactor units themselves.

***

It was by far the highest concentration of radioactivity detected since soon after Japan’s March 2011 earthquake and tsunami ….

This thing still going on?

And why exactly would it end?

It's a nuclear disaster, it doesn't just go away in a few years...

It does. It's called a half-life. The report is not likely true, if the nuclear material is not the most radioactive part of the findings than there is something wrong with 100 years of science since u-235 has a 703 thousand+ year half life.

uranium decays into other types of isotopes during fission. There are many different fission product daughters, but you don't start with U235 and end with U235.

Yes. But the cores were u-235. There's byproducts mixed in, but I was stating that the most radioactive parts of the wreck is the core itself. Don't get me wrong, the cooling unit and everything else associated with the primary system are going to be radioactive, but who cares? They took a reading and blew it out of proportion again as a fearmongering tactic.

 

[cstu]

NRA [Nuclear Regulation Authority] officials said highly contaminated watermay be leaking into the soil from a number of trenches, allowing the waterto seep into the site’s groundwater and eventually into the ocean.

I'm pretty sure that's how Godzilla gets created.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

 

[jsharlan]

http://www.asheepnomore.net/2013/08/you-wont-believe-whats-going-on-at.html

Tepco Has No Idea How to Stabilize the Reactors

You’ve heard bad news about Fukushima recently.

But it’s worse than you know.

The Wall Street Journal notes that radiation levels outside the plant are likely higher than inside the reactor:

NRA [Nuclear Regulation Authority] officials said highly contaminated watermay be leaking into the soil from a number of trenches, allowing the waterto seep into the site’s groundwater and eventually into the ocean.

***

Both radioactive substances are considered harmful to health. An NRA official said Monday that the very high levels were likely to be even higher than those within the reactor units themselves.

***

It was by far the highest concentration of radioactivity detected since soon after Japan’s March 2011 earthquake and tsunami ….

This thing still going on?

And why exactly would it end?

It's a nuclear disaster, it doesn't just go away in a few years...

It does. It's called a half-life. The report is not likely true, if the nuclear material is not the most radioactive part of the findings than there is something wrong with 100 years of science since u-235 has a 703 thousand+ year half life.

uranium decays into other types of isotopes during fission. There are many different fission product daughters, but you don't start with U235 and end with U235.

Yes. But the cores were u-235. There's byproducts mixed in, but I was stating that the most radioactive parts of the wreck is the core itself. Don't get me wrong, the cooling unit and everything else associated with the primary system are going to be radioactive, but who cares? They took a reading and blew it out of proportion again as a fearmongering tactic.

The cores are metal bowls. The uranium is contained in fuel rod assemblies. My point was U235 does not stay U235 and the various fission product daughters have different levels of activity and half-life.

 

[FattyVM]

http://www.asheepnomore.net/2013/08/you-wont-believe-whats-going-on-at.html

Tepco Has No Idea How to Stabilize the Reactors

You’ve heard bad news about Fukushima recently.

But it’s worse than you know.

The Wall Street Journal notes that radiation levels outside the plant are likely higher than inside the reactor:

NRA [Nuclear Regulation Authority] officials said highly contaminated watermay be leaking into the soil from a number of trenches, allowing the waterto seep into the site’s groundwater and eventually into the ocean.

***

Both radioactive substances are considered harmful to health. An NRA official said Monday that the very high levels were likely to be even higher than those within the reactor units themselves.

***

It was by far the highest concentration of radioactivity detected since soon after Japan’s March 2011 earthquake and tsunami ….

This thing still going on?

And why exactly would it end?

It's a nuclear disaster, it doesn't just go away in a few years...

It does. It's called a half-life. The report is not likely true, if the nuclear material is not the most radioactive part of the findings than there is something wrong with 100 years of science since u-235 has a 703 thousand+ year half life.

uranium decays into other types of isotopes during fission. There are many different fission product daughters, but you don't start with U235 and end with U235.

Yes. But the cores were u-235. There's byproducts mixed in, but I was stating that the most radioactive parts of the wreck is the core itself. Don't get me wrong, the cooling unit and everything else associated with the primary system are going to be radioactive, but who cares? They took a reading and blew it out of proportion again as a fearmongering tactic.

The cores are metal bowls. The uranium is contained in fuel rod assemblies. My point was U235 does not stay U235 and the various fission product daughters have different levels of activity and half-life.

Yes. We are on the same page.

 

[jsharlan]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Yep. Not even a case of chronic radiation sickness. Its because the media uses scales of readings that make the numbers look huge and scary to you and use vague terms for things to make them sound more dangerous than they are. Nuclear power is scary because of a lack of understanding. If you like the beach you have more exposure than I do working at a nuclear plant, and Ive been right on top of the reactor head. The Japanese got alot more blame than they deserved. This didn't happen because they were all stupid and careless. It happened because a massive storm destroyed the power sources of emergency pumps that remove decay heat from the reactor when it is shutdown. Sure that style of reactor and age of equipment didn't help matters in the aftermath, but it still is engineered to contain the contamination on site. There's really no planning for something like that.

 

[Politician Spock]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Fukushima isn't about what has happened. It's about what could happen.

With Chernobyl it was possible to encase it in concrete. For whatever reason that's not possible with Fukushima, meaning it will take decades to dismantle it and eliminate the chance of additional exposure.

Meanwhile, in the damaged state it is in, it is more vulnerable to earthquakes than it was as an undamaged structure. As long as there isn't a decent sized earthquake in Japan in the next couple decades, it will be fine.

 

[General Malaise]

Typical media scare tactics. They don't give you a single actual quote from a nuclear employee. They try to scare you with big numbers. 1 Curie = 3.7 x10^10 becquerels. So they found .025 Curie. I could wash my balls with this. They also try to scare you by giving you the activity instead of the dose rate. Because that is what you would really be concerned with and its much much smaller. This amount of activity is basically 9 mrem per hour if you were standing 5 feet from it. Ya that is absolutely nothing.

http://www.asheepnomore.net/2013/08/you-wont-believe-whats-going-on-at.html

Tepco Has No Idea How to Stabilize the Reactors

You’ve heard bad news about Fukushima recently.

But it’s worse than you know.

The Wall Street Journal notes that radiation levels outside the plant are likely higher than inside the reactor:

NRA [Nuclear Regulation Authority] officials said highly contaminated watermay be leaking into the soil from a number of trenches, allowing the waterto seep into the site’s groundwater and eventually into the ocean.

***

Both radioactive substances are considered harmful to health. An NRA official said Monday that the very high levels were likely to be even higher than those within the reactor units themselves.

***

It was by far the highest concentration of radioactivity detected since soon after Japan’s March 2011 earthquake and tsunami ….

This thing still going on?

And why exactly would it end?

It's a nuclear disaster, it doesn't just go away in a few years...

It does. It's called a half-life. The report is not likely true, if the nuclear material is not the most radioactive part of the findings than there is something wrong with 100 years of science since u-235 has a 703 thousand+ year half life.

uranium decays into other types of isotopes during fission. There are many different fission product daughters, but you don't start with U235 and end with U235.

Yes. But the cores were u-235. There's byproducts mixed in, but I was stating that the most radioactive parts of the wreck is the core itself. Don't get me wrong, the cooling unit and everything else associated with the primary system are going to be radioactive, but who cares? They took a reading and blew it out of proportion again as a fearmongering tactic.

Holy crap, where did you guys come from? I'd like to subscribe to both of your newsletters.

Always amazed at how smart some of the FBG members are.

 

[General Malaise]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Yep. Not even a case of chronic radiation sickness. Its because the media uses scales of readings that make the numbers look huge and scary to you and use vague terms for things to make them sound more dangerous than they are. Nuclear power is scary because of a lack of understanding. If you like the beach you have more exposure than I do working at a nuclear plant, and Ive been right on top of the reactor head. The Japanese got alot more blame than they deserved. This didn't happen because they were all stupid and careless. It happened because a massive storm destroyed the power sources of emergency pumps that remove decay heat from the reactor when it is shutdown. Sure that style of reactor and age of equipment didn't help matters in the aftermath, but it still is engineered to contain the contamination on site. There's really no planning for something like that.

 

[jsharlan]

I'm an operator at a nuclear power plant and I would consider myself below the average of the guys there. It is absolutely amazing the IQ levels of the guys in this industry. Its quite depressing to then go walk around in public.

 

[jsharlan]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Fukushima isn't about what has happened. It's about what could happen.

With Chernobyl it was possible to encase it in concrete. For whatever reason that's not possible with Fukushima, meaning it will take decades to dismantle it and eliminate the chance of additional exposure.

Meanwhile, in the damaged state it is in, it is more vulnerable to earthquakes than it was as an undamaged structure. As long as there isn't a decent sized earthquake in Japan in the next couple decades, it will be fine.

Chernobyl was a vastly different type of reactor design and unlike Japan, was 100% operator error. The Russians violated several procedures and disabled several safety components that would have prevented that accident. The Chernobyl core literally exploded like a pressure cooker, blowing its top and spewing airborne radiation. This is absolutely worst care scenario. What happened in Japan is nothing like that. The equipment operated as designed, there just wasn't power to keep the reactor from overheating. They could vent it so it didn't blow its top like Chernobyl, but they couldn't prevent the metal for getting too hot and melting. While it will take a while to contain and recover, its probably more an issue of money that company just doesnt have for that scale of operation. The Japanese government will have to step in.

 

[Politician Spock]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Fukushima isn't about what has happened. It's about what could happen.

With Chernobyl it was possible to encase it in concrete. For whatever reason that's not possible with Fukushima, meaning it will take decades to dismantle it and eliminate the chance of additional exposure.

Meanwhile, in the damaged state it is in, it is more vulnerable to earthquakes than it was as an undamaged structure. As long as there isn't a decent sized earthquake in Japan in the next couple decades, it will be fine.

Chernobyl was a vastly different type of reactor design and unlike Japan, was 100% operator error. The Russians violated several procedures and disabled several safety components that would have prevented that accident. The Chernobyl core literally exploded like a pressure cooker, blowing its top and spewing airborne radiation. This is absolutely worst care scenario. What happened in Japan is nothing like that. The equipment operated as designed, there just wasn't power to keep the reactor from overheating. They could vent it so it didn't blow its top like Chernobyl, but they couldn't prevent the metal for getting too hot and melting. While it will take a while to contain and recover, its probably more an issue of money that company just doesnt have for that scale of operation. The Japanese government will have to step in.

Whatever the hold up is, it needs to end, so that they can get the risk it currently presents contained.

If an earthquake occurs, and people do die because it wasn't contained, and people find out containing it was held up by financial/political issues, it will become a HUGE black eye for the nuclear industry.

 

[Sand]

1 Curie = 3.7 x10^10 becquerels. So they found .025 Curie. I could wash my balls with this.

Sounds like a good idea for a high end soap.

 

[General Malaise]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Fukushima isn't about what has happened. It's about what could happen.

With Chernobyl it was possible to encase it in concrete. For whatever reason that's not possible with Fukushima, meaning it will take decades to dismantle it and eliminate the chance of additional exposure.

Meanwhile, in the damaged state it is in, it is more vulnerable to earthquakes than it was as an undamaged structure. As long as there isn't a decent sized earthquake in Japan in the next couple decades, it will be fine.

Chernobyl was a vastly different type of reactor design and unlike Japan, was 100% operator error. The Russians violated several procedures and disabled several safety components that would have prevented that accident. The Chernobyl core literally exploded like a pressure cooker, blowing its top and spewing airborne radiation. This is absolutely worst care scenario. What happened in Japan is nothing like that. The equipment operated as designed, there just wasn't power to keep the reactor from overheating. They could vent it so it didn't blow its top like Chernobyl, but they couldn't prevent the metal for getting too hot and melting. While it will take a while to contain and recover, its probably more an issue of money that company just doesnt have for that scale of operation. The Japanese government will have to step in.

Whatever the hold up is, it needs to end, so that they can get the risk it currently presents contained.

If an earthquake occurs, and people do die because it wasn't contained, and people find out containing it was held up by financial/political issues, it will become a HUGE black eye for the nuclear industry.

It's ALREADY a huge black eye for the nuclear industry and for uranium as a commodity. Have you seen what's happened to the equities since 2011? Have you seen a chart of the physical metal since the tsunami? It's been cut in half despite growing global demand. Investors can't run away fast enough.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

I'm an operator at a nuclear power plant and I would consider myself below the average of the guys there. It is absolutely amazing the IQ levels of the guys in this industry. Its quite depressing to then go walk around in public.

This is how I imagine you right now.

 

[[icon]]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Fukushima isn't about what has happened. It's about what could happen.

With Chernobyl it was possible to encase it in concrete. For whatever reason that's not possible with Fukushima, meaning it will take decades to dismantle it and eliminate the chance of additional exposure.

Meanwhile, in the damaged state it is in, it is more vulnerable to earthquakes than it was as an undamaged structure. As long as there isn't a decent sized earthquake in Japan in the next couple decades, it will be fine.

Chernobyl was a vastly different type of reactor design and unlike Japan, was 100% operator error. The Russians violated several procedures and disabled several safety components that would have prevented that accident. The Chernobyl core literally exploded like a pressure cooker, blowing its top and spewing airborne radiation. This is absolutely worst care scenario. What happened in Japan is nothing like that. The equipment operated as designed, there just wasn't power to keep the reactor from overheating. They could vent it so it didn't blow its top like Chernobyl, but they couldn't prevent the metal for getting too hot and melting. While it will take a while to contain and recover, its probably more an issue of money that company just doesnt have for that scale of operation. The Japanese government will have to step in.

Whatever the hold up is, it needs to end, so that they can get the risk it currently presents contained.

If an earthquake occurs, and people do die because it wasn't contained, and people find out containing it was held up by financial/political issues, it will become a HUGE black eye for the nuclear industry.

It's ALREADY a huge black eye for the nuclear industry and for uranium as a commodity. Have you seen what's happened to the equities since 2011? Have you seen a chart of the physical metal since the tsunami? It's been cut in half despite growing global demand. Investors can't run away fast enough.

Sounds like a buying opportunity to me.

That's like rule 1 of investing... holds true a large portion of the time. Swim against the outer reaches of a panic.

 

[General Malaise]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Fukushima isn't about what has happened. It's about what could happen.

With Chernobyl it was possible to encase it in concrete. For whatever reason that's not possible with Fukushima, meaning it will take decades to dismantle it and eliminate the chance of additional exposure.

Meanwhile, in the damaged state it is in, it is more vulnerable to earthquakes than it was as an undamaged structure. As long as there isn't a decent sized earthquake in Japan in the next couple decades, it will be fine.

Chernobyl was a vastly different type of reactor design and unlike Japan, was 100% operator error. The Russians violated several procedures and disabled several safety components that would have prevented that accident. The Chernobyl core literally exploded like a pressure cooker, blowing its top and spewing airborne radiation. This is absolutely worst care scenario. What happened in Japan is nothing like that. The equipment operated as designed, there just wasn't power to keep the reactor from overheating. They could vent it so it didn't blow its top like Chernobyl, but they couldn't prevent the metal for getting too hot and melting. While it will take a while to contain and recover, its probably more an issue of money that company just doesnt have for that scale of operation. The Japanese government will have to step in.

Whatever the hold up is, it needs to end, so that they can get the risk it currently presents contained.

If an earthquake occurs, and people do die because it wasn't contained, and people find out containing it was held up by financial/political issues, it will become a HUGE black eye for the nuclear industry.

It's ALREADY a huge black eye for the nuclear industry and for uranium as a commodity. Have you seen what's happened to the equities since 2011? Have you seen a chart of the physical metal since the tsunami? It's been cut in half despite growing global demand. Investors can't run away fast enough.

Sounds like a buying opportunity to me.

That's like rule 1 of investing... holds true a large portion of the time. Swim against the outer reaches of a panic.

Yes, I tend to agree. BUT....it's been decaying slowly for over 2 years now and sadly, I don't think we've bottomed.

But, say a uranium ETF comes to market? Could galvanize the whole sector.

 

[Oracle]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Yep. Not even a case of chronic radiation sickness. Its because the media uses scales of readings that make the numbers look huge and scary to you and use vague terms for things to make them sound more dangerous than they are. Nuclear power is scary because of a lack of understanding. If you like the beach you have more exposure than I do working at a nuclear plant, and Ive been right on top of the reactor head. The Japanese got alot more blame than they deserved. This didn't happen because they were all stupid and careless. It happened because a massive storm destroyed the power sources of emergency pumps that remove decay heat from the reactor when it is shutdown. Sure that style of reactor and age of equipment didn't help matters in the aftermath, but it still is engineered to contain the contamination on site. There's really no planning for something like that.

http://www.stripes.com/in-growing-lawsuit-servicemembers-fault-tepco-for-radiation-related-illnesses-1.230512

Read this article while vacationing in Tokyo/climbing Mt. Fuji a few weeks ago.

 

[Sheriff66]

Fukushima plant spilling contaminated water into the sea 'for years'http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-12/fukushima-plant-workers-raise-safety-concerns/4879960

 

[Sheriff66]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

Yep. Not even a case of chronic radiation sickness. Its because the media uses scales of readings that make the numbers look huge and scary to you and use vague terms for things to make them sound more dangerous than they are. Nuclear power is scary because of a lack of understanding. If you like the beach you have more exposure than I do working at a nuclear plant, and Ive been right on top of the reactor head. The Japanese got alot more blame than they deserved. This didn't happen because they were all stupid and careless. It happened because a massive storm destroyed the power sources of emergency pumps that remove decay heat from the reactor when it is shutdown. Sure that style of reactor and age of equipment didn't help matters in the aftermath, but it still is engineered to contain the contamination on site. There's really no planning for something like that.

http://www.stripes.com/in-growing-lawsuit-servicemembers-fault-tepco-for-radiation-related-illnesses-1.230512

Read this article while vacationing in Tokyo/climbing Mt. Fuji a few weeks ago.

But their are no issues here...ask the experts

 

[Otis]

I think I read somewhere not too long ago that there were zero deaths attributed to the nuclear meltdown so far. That was surprising to me.

If you read this thread you expect we'd all be dead by now.

 

[Otis]

David Dodds = Ham Lite

Seriously. Did Ham steal his keys? Everything I see on the news and everyone they interview seems to suggest things are not all that bad and under control, but Dodds seems like he is struggling to piece together a doomsday story here.CYTOKINE MELTDOWN1!!11

 

[SofaKings]

Encase it in melted wheat pennies?

 

[Riversco]

1 Curie = 3.7 x10^10 becquerels. So they found .025 Curie. I could wash my balls with this.

Sounds like a good idea for a high end soap.

Maybe jsharlan = GlaDOS?

When I said "deadly radiation," the "deadly" was in massive sarcasm quotes. I could take a bath in this stuff. Put it on cereal, rub it right into my eyes. Honestly, it's not deadly at all... to *me*. You, on the other hand, are going to find its deadliness... a lot less funny.

 

[jamny]

Wrecked Fukushima plant springs highly radioactive water leak

TOKYO (Reuters) - Contaminated water with dangerously high levels of radiation is leaking from a storage tank at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the most serious setback to the clean up of the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

The storage tank breach of about 300 tons of water is separate from contaminated water leaks reported in recent weeks, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said on Tuesday.

The latest leak, which is continuing, is so contaminated that a person standing 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) away would, within an hour, receive a radiation dose five times the average annual global limit for nuclear workers.

After 10 hours, a worker in that proximity to the leak would develop radiation sickness with symptoms including nausea and a drop in white blood cells.

"That is a huge amount of radiation. The situation is getting worse," said Michiaki Furukawa, who is professor emeritus at Nagoya University and a nuclear chemist.

The embattled utility Tokyo Electric has struggled to keep the Fukushima site under control since an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactor meltdowns in March 2011.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has classified the latest leak as a level 1 incident, the second lowest on an international scale for radiological releases, a spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday.

But it is the first time Japan has issued a so-called INES rating for Fukushima since the meltdowns. Following the quake and tsunami, Fukushima was assigned the highest rating of 7, when it was hit by explosions after a loss of power and cooling.

A Tokyo Electric official said that workers who were monitoring storage tanks appeared to have failed to detect the leak of water which pooled up around the tank.

"We failed to discover the leak at an early stage and we need to review not only the tanks but also our monitoring system," he said.

Continued contaminated water leaks from Fukushima has alarmed Japan's neighbors South Korea and China.

Tokyo Electric, also known as Tepco, has been criticized for its failure to prepare for the disaster and been accused of covering up the extent of the problems at the plant.

FLOODED BASEMENTS

Massive amounts of radioactive fluids are accumulating at the Fukushima plant as Tepco floods reactor cores via a jerry-rigged system to keep melted uranium fuel rods cool and stable.

The water in the improvised cooling system then flows into basements and trenches that have been leaking since the disaster.

Highly contaminated excess water is pumped out and stored in steel tanks on elevated ground away from the reactors, which lie adjacent to the coast. About 400 tons of radioactive water per day has been pooling and kept in storage at Fukushima.

In order to keep up with the pace of the contaminated water flow, Tepco has mostly relied on tanks that are bolted together with plastic sealing around the joints. Those tanks are less robust -- but quicker to assemble -- than the welded tanks that the utility has recently started installing.

The latest leak came from the more fragile type of tank, which Tepco plans to keep using, although it is looking at ways to improve their strength, said Tepco official Masayuki Ono.

Tepco said it did not believe that water from the latest leak had reached the ocean, about 500 meters (550 yards) away.

DANGEROUS DOSE

A puddle that formed near the leaking tank is emitting a radiation dose of 100 millisieverts an hour about 50 centimeters above the water surface, Ono told reporters at a press briefing

In recent months the plant has been beset with power outages and other problems that have led outside experts to question whether Tepco is qualified to handle the cleanup, which is unprecedented due to the amount of radioactive material on the site and its coastal location.

The government said this month it will step up its involvement in the plant's cleanup, following Tepco's admission, after months of denial, that leaked contaminated water had reached the ocean.

Tepco has also struggled with worker safety. This month, 12 workers decommissioning the plant were found to have been contaminated by radiation. The utility has not yet identified what caused those incidents, which only came to its notice when alarms sounded as the workers prepared to leave the job site.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed on Tuesday media reports that Seoul had asked Japanese officials to publicly explain what they were doing to stop contaminated water reaching the Pacific Ocean and valuable fishing grounds.

"Tepco and the government must come up with ways to stop the leaks as well as to monitor and analyze how much and what sort of radiation is entering the ocean, as well as the affect it is having on fish and sea plants," Furukawa said.

"They also need to make the information available to the public, all over the world, given this is the first case in history where contaminated water from a nuclear plant is flowing into the ocean at this magnitude," he said.

 

[culdeus]

Wrecked Fukushima plant springs highly radioactive water leak

TOKYO (Reuters) - Contaminated water with dangerously high levels of radiation is leaking from a storage tank at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the most serious setback to the clean up of the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

The storage tank breach of about 300 tons of water is separate from contaminated water leaks reported in recent weeks, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said on Tuesday.

The latest leak, which is continuing, is so contaminated that a person standing 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) away would, within an hour, receive a radiation dose five times the average annual global limit for nuclear workers.

After 10 hours, a worker in that proximity to the leak would develop radiation sickness with symptoms including nausea and a drop in white blood cells.

"That is a huge amount of radiation. The situation is getting worse," said Michiaki Furukawa, who is professor emeritus at Nagoya University and a nuclear chemist.

The embattled utility Tokyo Electric has struggled to keep the Fukushima site under control since an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactor meltdowns in March 2011.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has classified the latest leak as a level 1 incident, the second lowest on an international scale for radiological releases, a spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday.

But it is the first time Japan has issued a so-called INES rating for Fukushima since the meltdowns. Following the quake and tsunami, Fukushima was assigned the highest rating of 7, when it was hit by explosions after a loss of power and cooling.

A Tokyo Electric official said that workers who were monitoring storage tanks appeared to have failed to detect the leak of water which pooled up around the tank.

"We failed to discover the leak at an early stage and we need to review not only the tanks but also our monitoring system," he said.

Continued contaminated water leaks from Fukushima has alarmed Japan's neighbors South Korea and China.

Tokyo Electric, also known as Tepco, has been criticized for its failure to prepare for the disaster and been accused of covering up the extent of the problems at the plant.

FLOODED BASEMENTS

Massive amounts of radioactive fluids are accumulating at the Fukushima plant as Tepco floods reactor cores via a jerry-rigged system to keep melted uranium fuel rods cool and stable.

The water in the improvised cooling system then flows into basements and trenches that have been leaking since the disaster.

Highly contaminated excess water is pumped out and stored in steel tanks on elevated ground away from the reactors, which lie adjacent to the coast. About 400 tons of radioactive water per day has been pooling and kept in storage at Fukushima.

In order to keep up with the pace of the contaminated water flow, Tepco has mostly relied on tanks that are bolted together with plastic sealing around the joints. Those tanks are less robust -- but quicker to assemble -- than the welded tanks that the utility has recently started installing.

The latest leak came from the more fragile type of tank, which Tepco plans to keep using, although it is looking at ways to improve their strength, said Tepco official Masayuki Ono.

Tepco said it did not believe that water from the latest leak had reached the ocean, about 500 meters (550 yards) away.

DANGEROUS DOSE

A puddle that formed near the leaking tank is emitting a radiation dose of 100 millisieverts an hour about 50 centimeters above the water surface, Ono told reporters at a press briefing

In recent months the plant has been beset with power outages and other problems that have led outside experts to question whether Tepco is qualified to handle the cleanup, which is unprecedented due to the amount of radioactive material on the site and its coastal location.

The government said this month it will step up its involvement in the plant's cleanup, following Tepco's admission, after months of denial, that leaked contaminated water had reached the ocean.

Tepco has also struggled with worker safety. This month, 12 workers decommissioning the plant were found to have been contaminated by radiation. The utility has not yet identified what caused those incidents, which only came to its notice when alarms sounded as the workers prepared to leave the job site.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed on Tuesday media reports that Seoul had asked Japanese officials to publicly explain what they were doing to stop contaminated water reaching the Pacific Ocean and valuable fishing grounds.

"Tepco and the government must come up with ways to stop the leaks as well as to monitor and analyze how much and what sort of radiation is entering the ocean, as well as the affect it is having on fish and sea plants," Furukawa said.

"They also need to make the information available to the public, all over the world, given this is the first case in history where contaminated water from a nuclear plant is flowing into the ocean at this magnitude," he said.

Can I wash my balls in this water?

 

[Politician Spock]

Reuters just reported that Japan will raise the severity to Level 3.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/21/us-japan-fukushima-severity-idUSBRE97K02B20130821

 

[shader]

I wish I understood this more. I've read every opinion from "this is an ELE and will kill us all" to "this is media hype and WAY overblown.

I think one of the problems is that it's hard to trust the media anymore to get real answers.

 

[pantagrapher]

All the nuclear physicists on this board have assured me there's nothing to worry about.

 

[Sheriff66]

All the nuclear physicists on this board have assured me there's nothing to worry about.

 

[Politician Spock]

All the nuclear physicists on this board have assured me there's nothing to worry about.

Level 1 severity = nothing to worry about.

Level 2 severity = ten times worse than Level 1

Level 3 severity = ten times worse than Level 2

So think of this severity level upgrade as 100 times as many nuclear physicists on this boarding assuring you there's nothing to worry about... Or maybe they'll just use a font 100 times as big to say "nothing to worry about".

 

[Politician Spock]

From BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23779561

The Japanese nuclear energy watchdog raised the incident level from one to three on the international scale that measures the severity of atomic accidents.

This was an acknowledgement that the power station was in its greatest crisis since the reactors melted down after the tsunami in 2011.

But some nuclear experts are concerned that the problem is a good deal worse than either Tepco or the Japanese government are willing to admit.

They are worried about the enormous quantities of water, used to cool the reactor cores, which are now being stored on site.

Some 1,000 tanks have been built to hold the water. But these are believed to be at around 85% of their capacity and every day an extra 400 tonnes of water are being added.

"The quantities of water they are dealing with are absolutely gigantic," said Mycle Schneider, who has consulted widely for a variety of organisations and countries on nuclear issues.

"What is the worse is the water leakage everywhere else - not just from the tanks. It is leaking out from the basements, it is leaking out from the cracks all over the place. Nobody can measure that.

"It is much worse than we have been led to believe, much worse," said Mr Schneider, who is lead author for the World Nuclear Industry status reports.

 

[culdeus]

Remind me, why are we still dealing with cooling the reactor cores. Explain like I'm 8 please.

 

[Sheriff66]

From BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23779561

The Japanese nuclear energy watchdog raised the incident level from one to three on the international scale that measures the severity of atomic accidents.

This was an acknowledgement that the power station was in its greatest crisis since the reactors melted down after the tsunami in 2011.

But some nuclear experts are concerned that the problem is a good deal worse than either Tepco or the Japanese government are willing to admit.

They are worried about the enormous quantities of water, used to cool the reactor cores, which are now being stored on site.

Some 1,000 tanks have been built to hold the water. But these are believed to be at around 85% of their capacity and every day an extra 400 tonnes of water are being added.

"The quantities of water they are dealing with are absolutely gigantic," said Mycle Schneider, who has consulted widely for a variety of organisations and countries on nuclear issues.

"What is the worse is the water leakage everywhere else - not just from the tanks. It is leaking out from the basements, it is leaking out from the cracks all over the place. Nobody can measure that.

"It is much worse than we have been led to believe, much worse," said Mr Schneider, who is lead author for the World Nuclear Industry status reports.

Why are they wasting their time storing this water? If they came here they would know you can wash your sack in it with no issues whatsoever

 

[Politician Spock]

From BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23779561

The Japanese nuclear energy watchdog raised the incident level from one to three on the international scale that measures the severity of atomic accidents.

This was an acknowledgement that the power station was in its greatest crisis since the reactors melted down after the tsunami in 2011.

But some nuclear experts are concerned that the problem is a good deal worse than either Tepco or the Japanese government are willing to admit.

They are worried about the enormous quantities of water, used to cool the reactor cores, which are now being stored on site.

Some 1,000 tanks have been built to hold the water. But these are believed to be at around 85% of their capacity and every day an extra 400 tonnes of water are being added.

"The quantities of water they are dealing with are absolutely gigantic," said Mycle Schneider, who has consulted widely for a variety of organisations and countries on nuclear issues.

"What is the worse is the water leakage everywhere else - not just from the tanks. It is leaking out from the basements, it is leaking out from the cracks all over the place. Nobody can measure that.

"It is much worse than we have been led to believe, much worse," said Mr Schneider, who is lead author for the World Nuclear Industry status reports.

Why are they wasting their time storing this water? If they came here they would know you can wash your sack in it with no issues whatsoever

Good point! They could bottle it and sell it to Californians as wash that improves sexual performance. What they need is entrepreneurs over there. Send over The Shark Tank!

 

[Sheriff66]

Everythings OK people...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-08-25/russia-offers-to-help-clean-up-fukushima-as-tepco-calls-for-help

After 29 months of trying to contain radiation from Fukushima’s molten atomic cores, Tokyo Electric said last week it will reach out for international expertise in handling the crisis. The water leaks alone have so far sent more than 100 times the annual norms of radioactive elements into the ocean, raising concern it will enter the food chain through fish.

‘Last to Realize’The latest leak of 300 metric tons of irradiated water prompted Japan’s nuclear regulator to label the incident “serious” and question Tokyo Electric’s ability to deal with the crisis, echoing comments made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this month. Zengo Aizawa, a vice president at Tepco, as the Tokyo-based utility is known, made the call for help at a press briefing in Japan’s capital on Aug. 21.

 

[Politician Spock]

Everythings OK people...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-08-25/russia-offers-to-help-clean-up-fukushima-as-tepco-calls-for-help

After 29 months of trying to contain radiation from Fukushima’s molten atomic cores, Tokyo Electric said last week it will reach out for international expertise in handling the crisis. The water leaks alone have so far sent more than 100 times the annual norms of radioactive elements into the ocean, raising concern it will enter the food chain through fish.

‘Last to Realize’

The latest leak of 300 metric tons of irradiated water prompted Japan’s nuclear regulator to label the incident “serious” and question Tokyo Electric’s ability to deal with the crisis, echoing comments made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this month. Zengo Aizawa, a vice president at Tepco, as the Tokyo-based utility is known, made the call for help at a press briefing in Japan’s capital on Aug. 21.

Whew! And to think I thought they were in over their heads and feeding us BS for the past two and half years. Good to see they've made such great progress and accomplished so much. Anyone know of any good place to eat fresh pacific seafood?

 

[Fennis]

All the nuclear physicists on this board have assured me there's nothing to worry about.

its like eating a banana.

 

[Fennis]

Everythings OK people...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-08-25/russia-offers-to-help-clean-up-fukushima-as-tepco-calls-for-help

After 29 months of trying to contain radiation from Fukushima’s molten atomic cores, Tokyo Electric said last week it will reach out for international expertise in handling the crisis. The water leaks alone have so far sent more than 100 times the annual norms of radioactive elements into the ocean, raising concern it will enter the food chain through fish.

‘Last to Realize’

The latest leak of 300 metric tons of irradiated water prompted Japan’s nuclear regulator to label the incident “serious” and question Tokyo Electric’s ability to deal with the crisis, echoing comments made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this month. Zengo Aizawa, a vice president at Tepco, as the Tokyo-based utility is known, made the call for help at a press briefing in Japan’s capital on Aug. 21.

Whew! And to think I thought they were in over their heads and feeding us BS for the past two and half years. Good to see they've made such great progress and accomplished so much. Anyone know of any good place to eat fresh pacific seafood?

the good news

 

[FattyVM]

I'd need to hear what happened to the last form of water containment/purification. I'm currently out of the loop as I left my job and began school again (yay JD's!) The original crisis had outside experts there too, I know we sent guys over and I know our carriers provided direct support.

 

[FattyVM]

I'd need to hear what happened to the last form of water containment/purification. I'm currently out of the loop as I left my job and began school again (yay JD's!) The original crisis had outside experts there too, I know we sent guys over and I know our carriers provided direct support.

And by "we" I meant my former company, with alot of our workers providing logistical and informational support behind them.

 

[Foosball God]

Everythings OK people...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-08-25/russia-offers-to-help-clean-up-fukushima-as-tepco-calls-for-help

After 29 months of trying to contain radiation from Fukushima’s molten atomic cores, Tokyo Electric said last week it will reach out for international expertise in handling the crisis. The water leaks alone have so far sent more than 100 times the annual norms of radioactive elements into the ocean, raising concern it will enter the food chain through fish.

‘Last to Realize’The latest leak of 300 metric tons of irradiated water prompted Japan’s nuclear regulator to label the incident “serious” and question Tokyo Electric’s ability to deal with the crisis, echoing comments made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this month. Zengo Aizawa, a vice president at Tepco, as the Tokyo-based utility is known, made the call for help at a press briefing in Japan’s capital on Aug. 21.

Over/under on number of years until Godzilla appears?

 

[Sheriff66]

Everythings OK people...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-08-25/russia-offers-to-help-clean-up-fukushima-as-tepco-calls-for-help

After 29 months of trying to contain radiation from Fukushima’s molten atomic cores, Tokyo Electric said last week it will reach out for international expertise in handling the crisis. The water leaks alone have so far sent more than 100 times the annual norms of radioactive elements into the ocean, raising concern it will enter the food chain through fish.

‘Last to Realize’The latest leak of 300 metric tons of irradiated water prompted Japan’s nuclear regulator to label the incident “serious” and question Tokyo Electric’s ability to deal with the crisis, echoing comments made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this month. Zengo Aizawa, a vice president at Tepco, as the Tokyo-based utility is known, made the call for help at a press briefing in Japan’s capital on Aug. 21.

Over/under on number of years until Godzilla appears?

30 days

 

[Sheriff66]

Nothing to see here, ball washing water...

http://nodisinfo.com/Home/holy-fukushima-radiation-from-japan-is-already-killing-north-americans/

Radiation From Japan Is Already Killing North Americans

UPDATED: though this article is not written by nodisinfo.com it has been hotly contested by posters. Yet, the premise is held, here, as correct, which is that the radionuclides disseminated as a result of the Fukushima disaster are deadly and that toxicity from these substances is leading to an increase in disease and mortality.

This can be substantiated even with the modest amount of science available after the disaster. Furthermore, the Chernobyl catastrophe proves that radionuclides emitted as a result of the detonation of a nuclear power plant do cause an increase in morbidity and mortality: to deny this is ludicrous, as this is fully substantiated from previous cases, including Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, now Fukushima.

Mangano has shown an increase in disease (thyroid disorders) and infantile mortality in the first six months after the contamination of the American air, soil, and water systems from the Fukushima detonation.

 

[Fennis]

how many bananas are we up to now?

Japan asks for world's help on Fukushima leaks

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that Japan is open to receiving overseas help to contain widening disaster at the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima, where radioactive water leaks and other mishaps are now reported almost daily.

"We are wide open to receive the most advanced knowledge from overseas to contain the problem," Abe said in his English speech to open the conference on energy and environment at an international science forum in Kyoto in western Japan.

"My country needs your knowledge and expertise," he said.

Despite Abe's reassurances to the International Olympic Committee last month that the leaks were "under control," many Japanese believe he was glossing over problems at the plant.

Abe did not say whether he still thinks the leaks are under control, or give any specifics about foreign participation.

His comments come just days after the plant's operator acknowledged that highly contaminated water spilled from a storage tank as workers tried to fill it to the top.

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant says at least 110 gallons spilled when workers overfilled a storage tank without a gauge that could have warned them of the danger.

A long list of leaks
The amount is tiny compared to the untold thousands of tons of radioactive water that have leaked, much of it into the Pacific Ocean, since a massive earthquake and tsunami wrecked the plant and sent it into meltdown in 2011. But the error is one of many the operator has committed as it struggles to manage a seemingly endless, tainted flow.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said Thursday workers detected the water spilling from the top of one large tank when they were patrolling the site the night before. The tank is one of about 1,000 erected on the grounds around the plant to hold water used to cool the melted nuclear fuel in the broken reactors.

TEPCO said the water then spilled out of a concrete barrier surrounding the tank and believed that most of it reached the sea via a ditch next to the river. The company later said, however, radiation levels in sea water samples taken just off the plant's coast remained below detectable levels.

The overspill, the latest of several mishaps in less than a month, prompted the Nuclear Regulation Authority to summon the utility president and reprimand him in public.

Katsuhiko Ikeda, administrative head of the agency, ordered TEPCO President Naomi Hirose on Friday to ensure better on-site management and prevent human error, and submit improvement plans in a report.

"It is extremely regrettable that contaminated water leaked because of human error," Ikeda said. "We must say on-site management is extremely poor."

The new leak is sure to add to public concern and criticism of TEPCO and the government for their handling of the nuclear crisis. In August, the utility reported a 300-metric-ton leak (about 80,000 gallons -- roughly equal to the amount of water used by 200 American families each day) from another storage tank, one of a string of leaks in recent months.

That came after the utility and the government acknowledged that contaminated groundwater was seeping into ocean at a rate of 80,000 gallons per day for some time.

'These are not accidents'
TEPCO spokesman Masayuki Ono told an urgent news conference Thursday that the overflow occurred at a 450-ton tank without a water gauge and standing on an unlevel ground, slightly tilting toward the sea.The tank was already nearly full, but workers pumped in more contaminated water into it to maximize capacity as the plant was facing a serious storage crunch. Recent rainstorms that flooded tank yards and the subsequent need to pump up and store contaminated rainwater also added to the shortage, he said.

"We could have, and should have, prevented the overflow," he said.

TEPCO said the tank and four others in the same area were already filled up to 98 percent of its design capacity, as in many other tanks elsewhere on the plant.

Tetsuro Tsutsui, an engineer and expert of industrial tanks, said the latest problem was emblematic of how TEPCO runs the precarious plant. He said it was "unthinkable" to fill tanks up to the top, or build them on tilted ground without building a level foundation.

"That's only common sense," Tsutsui, also a member of a citizens group of experts proposing safety measures for the plant. "But that seems to be the routine at the Fukushima Dai-ichi. I must say these are not accidents. There must be a systematic problem in the way things are run over there."

Experts have faulted TEPCO for sloppiness in its handling not only of the water management but also in other daily operations. A list of mishaps just over the past few weeks:

• On Oct. 2, some 4 tons of contaminated rainwater leaked when workers pumped it into a wrong tank that was also nearly full, resulting in most of it seeping into the ground.
• On Sept. 27, a water-treatment machine failed hours after resuming a test-run following months-long repairs, clogged up by a piece of rubber lining that got mistakenly left inside the unit. The rubber fragment has since been removed, with the unit back in operation. The unit stalled again Friday after an alarm went off. The cause is still being investigated.
• On Sept. 19, a fire-fighting water pipe was damaged during debris removal operations, causing an 80 gallon water leak.

Experts have faulted TEPCO for sloppiness in its handling of the water management, including insufficient tank inspection records, lack of water gauges, as well as connecting hoses lying directly on the grass-covered ground. Until recently, only one worker was assigned to 500 tanks in a two-hour patrol.

In recent meetings, regulators criticized TEPCO for even lacking basic skills to properly measure radioactivity in contaminated areas, and taking too long to find causes in case of problems. They also have criticized the one-foot high protective barriers around the tanks as being too low.

So far, the leaks have occurred in easy-to-assemble rubber-seamed tanks that TEPCO had built quickly to accommodate swelling amounts of contaminated water, and the plant has promised to replace them with more durable welded tanks, which take more time and cost more to build. TEPCO has been criticized for building shoddy tanks to cut cost.

"As far as TEPCO people on our contaminated water and sea monitoring panels are concerned, they seem to lack even the most basic knowledge about radiation," said a Nuclear Regulation Authority commissioner Kayoko Nakamura, a radiologist.

"I really think they should acquire adequate expertise and commitment needed for the job," she said.

Japan recently set up an organization among major utilities and nuclear experts to discuss decommissioning, including several advisers from countries including France, Britain and Russia.

The industry and trade ministry last month started accepting project proposals from private companies and groups to tackle the contaminated water problem, but an English version was added only after criticisms that the Japanese-only notice signaled exclusion of foreign participation.

 

[Otis]

Whenever nodisinfo.com speaks, I take notice.

 

[SeaDogStat]

http://youtu.be/2jqQsDklQEM

 

[shader]

This is one area where the conspiracy theorists did a big dis-service to the problem at hand. So many people were talking about how the nuclear plant was going to spew radiation that would poison the world, and poison the US, that the whole issue became a "conspiracy talking point".

But when you strip all the garbage away, it's still a huge and major problem for all of Japan. There is an uncontained nuclear disaster that isn't getting any better, is poisoning the environment and that is not going away anytime soon. And the potential exists for a massive deterioration of the integrity of the structure, which would have significant impacts in Japan. If I lived in Tokyo, I'd be pretty nervous. If I lived within 100 miles of that thing, I would have moved already.

 

[nysfl2]

Wrecked Fukushima plant springs highly radioactive water leak

TOKYO (Reuters) - Contaminated water with dangerously high levels of radiation is leaking from a storage tank at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the most serious setback to the clean up of the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

The storage tank breach of about 300 tons of water is separate from contaminated water leaks reported in recent weeks, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said on Tuesday.

The latest leak, which is continuing, is so contaminated that a person standing 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) away would, within an hour, receive a radiation dose five times the average annual global limit for nuclear workers.

After 10 hours, a worker in that proximity to the leak would develop radiation sickness with symptoms including nausea and a drop in white blood cells.

"That is a huge amount of radiation. The situation is getting worse," said Michiaki Furukawa, who is professor emeritus at Nagoya University and a nuclear chemist.

The embattled utility Tokyo Electric has struggled to keep the Fukushima site under control since an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactor meltdowns in March 2011.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has classified the latest leak as a level 1 incident, the second lowest on an international scale for radiological releases, a spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday.

But it is the first time Japan has issued a so-called INES rating for Fukushima since the meltdowns. Following the quake and tsunami, Fukushima was assigned the highest rating of 7, when it was hit by explosions after a loss of power and cooling.

A Tokyo Electric official said that workers who were monitoring storage tanks appeared to have failed to detect the leak of water which pooled up around the tank.

"We failed to discover the leak at an early stage and we need to review not only the tanks but also our monitoring system," he said.

Continued contaminated water leaks from Fukushima has alarmed Japan's neighbors South Korea and China.

Tokyo Electric, also known as Tepco, has been criticized for its failure to prepare for the disaster and been accused of covering up the extent of the problems at the plant.

FLOODED BASEMENTS

Massive amounts of radioactive fluids are accumulating at the Fukushima plant as Tepco floods reactor cores via a jerry-rigged system to keep melted uranium fuel rods cool and stable.

The water in the improvised cooling system then flows into basements and trenches that have been leaking since the disaster.

Highly contaminated excess water is pumped out and stored in steel tanks on elevated ground away from the reactors, which lie adjacent to the coast. About 400 tons of radioactive water per day has been pooling and kept in storage at Fukushima.

In order to keep up with the pace of the contaminated water flow, Tepco has mostly relied on tanks that are bolted together with plastic sealing around the joints. Those tanks are less robust -- but quicker to assemble -- than the welded tanks that the utility has recently started installing.

The latest leak came from the more fragile type of tank, which Tepco plans to keep using, although it is looking at ways to improve their strength, said Tepco official Masayuki Ono.

Tepco said it did not believe that water from the latest leak had reached the ocean, about 500 meters (550 yards) away.

DANGEROUS DOSE

A puddle that formed near the leaking tank is emitting a radiation dose of 100 millisieverts an hour about 50 centimeters above the water surface, Ono told reporters at a press briefing

In recent months the plant has been beset with power outages and other problems that have led outside experts to question whether Tepco is qualified to handle the cleanup, which is unprecedented due to the amount of radioactive material on the site and its coastal location.

The government said this month it will step up its involvement in the plant's cleanup, following Tepco's admission, after months of denial, that leaked contaminated water had reached the ocean.

Tepco has also struggled with worker safety. This month, 12 workers decommissioning the plant were found to have been contaminated by radiation. The utility has not yet identified what caused those incidents, which only came to its notice when alarms sounded as the workers prepared to leave the job site.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed on Tuesday media reports that Seoul had asked Japanese officials to publicly explain what they were doing to stop contaminated water reaching the Pacific Ocean and valuable fishing grounds.

"Tepco and the government must come up with ways to stop the leaks as well as to monitor and analyze how much and what sort of radiation is entering the ocean, as well as the affect it is having on fish and sea plants," Furukawa said.

"They also need to make the information available to the public, all over the world, given this is the first case in history where contaminated water from a nuclear plant is flowing into the ocean at this magnitude," he said.

Puddles emitting 100 mSv/hr is pretty hot, and is definitely a local problem. By the time it makes it to the ocean and is diluted down in those waters, it still probably isn't much of a threat to the ecosystem or to anyone outside of Japan.