Tepco says it is "watching to ensure" that radiation-contaminated water doesn't flow out

[meow mix]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/05/30/japan-hard-rain.html

The level of water in the basement of one of the six Fukushima Daiichi reactor buildings rose by almost 20 centimetres in 24 hours by early Monday, Agence France-Press reported, citing TEPCO.

"We presume the level of water has risen due to the rainwater which has seeped into the ground," TEPCO official Junichi Matsumoto said. Water in the No. 1 reactor building has reached 5.7 metres.

Emergency workers have been pouring thousands of tonnes of water onto reactors and pools for storing spent fuel rods to control overheating after cooling systems failed in the earthquake disaster. Fuel rods are presumed to have melted in three reactors.



but dont worry, they are watching!

[robdogbucky]

1. And some more news re: Fukushima radiation

Gov't to scrap upper limit of radiation exposure for workers at Fukushima plant


The government has decided to abolish the upper cap of radiation exposure for workers at the disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, drawing concern from experts, it has been learned.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare decided to lift the yearly 50-millisievert maximum permissible amount of radiation exposure for workers at the troubled Fukushima plant in the face of the prolonged restoration work at the facility.

The ministry has notified the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) -- Japan's largest labor organization -- of the decision in writing. The ministry will uphold the combined 100-millisievert maximum allowable exposure for workers over a five-year period, inclusive of doses they are exposed to during regular inspections of other nuclear power plants.

The move came after it became likely that workers at the Fukushima plant would not be able to be engaged in regular inspections at other nuclear power generation facilities after their stint at Fukushima. However, experts are voicing concerns over the change of policy, saying it could adversely affect the workers' health...

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110530p2a00m0na008000c.html






2 Fukushima workers may have exceeded radiation exposure limit

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Two Tokyo Electric Power Co. employees working at the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have been exposed to radiation exceeding the ultimate limit of 250 millisieverts, but no health problems have so far been reported, the company and the government said Monday.

The two men, who are in their 30s and 40s and have been at the plant from the time the March 11 quake and tsunami triggered the crisis, may have been cumulatively exposed to several hundred millisieverts, a company official said, while adding that they are "not at a stage that would require emergency medical treatment."

To cope with the country's worst nuclear power plant crisis, the government has raised the legal limit on the amount of radiation to which each worker could be exposed in an emergency situation to 250 milliseiverts from 100 millisieverts. The National Institute of Radiological Sciences is expected to conduct a detail assessment of the workers' internal radiation exposure so as to determine the total levels of their exposure, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, spokesman of the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

The two workers have been involved in dealing with the plant's Nos. 3 and 4 reactors. At a measurement on May 23, their thyroid glands were found to have absorbed 7,690 and 9,760 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131, respectively, 10 times higher than data on other workers...

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110530p2g00m0dm069000c.html




Work suspended at Fukushima plant due to hard rain

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has suspended some of its outdoor work due to heavy rain and strong winds caused by a tropical storm.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it is watching closely to ensure that contaminated water in reactor buildings and elsewhere do not flow outside as the water levels have been rising because of the rain.

It has been raining since Sunday in the areas around the Fukushima plant.

The utility has stopped spraying chemicals to prevent radioactive dust from spreading. It is also considering suspending work to remove debris.

It has piled up sandbags to prevent rain from getting inside electrical facility buildings to ensure the reactor cooling systems continue to function.

TEPCO has also secured a giant storage barge that was deployed to contain contaminated water to a quay.

Monday, May 30, 2011 12:51 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/30_13.html