Radioactivity in water dumped from Fukushima plant lower than thought
TOKYO, April 16, Kyodo
The total level of radioactive materials in water dumped in the sea from the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture earlier this month was lower than previously estimated, the plant's operator reported to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency on Friday.
Receiving the report, the agency instructed Tokyo Electric Power Co. to study in more detail the impact on the marine environment of the move, including radiation levels in fish and clams, and to make the results public.
As the nation's worst nuclear crisis drags on more than a month after it was triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, small amounts of plutonium have been detected for the third time in soil samples taken at the six-reactor Fukushima Daiichi complex, the plant operator said.
Also Friday, the operator, known as TEPCO, said it will pay up to 1 million yen to each of the roughly 50,000 households within 30 kilometers of the plant whose residents have been forced to evacuate their homes or remain indoors, as provisional compensation for the damage caused by the crisis.
TEPCO reported to the safety agency that it had released 10,393 tons of water containing a total of 150 billion bequerels of radioactive materials from the plant into the Pacific Ocean between April 4 and 10.
The operator, which earlier projected that the readings could reach 170 billion bequerels, said it had not detected any substantial changes in the levels of radioactive materials in seawater sampled off the plant's shore and farther offshore since the release.
The release of contaminated water sparked concern among such countries as China, South Korea and Russia over the possible impact on marine life and the environment, with Seoul complaining that it had not been notified in advance.
TEPCO dismissed the view that its latest release of contaminated water could pose an immediate risk to health, saying the level of radiation a person would be exposed to by eating seafood caught in nearby waters every day for a year would amount to 0.6 millisievert, which is still lower than the annual exposure limit of 1 millisievert for ordinary people.
But the water release angered local fishermen. TEPCO, which reported the findings to fisheries cooperatives in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures on Friday, said it was strongly warned by cooperative officials not to repeat the intentional dumping.
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