ID :
170060
Tue, 03/22/2011 - 18:51
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https://oananews.org//node/170060
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Gov't, Tokyo Electric gauge nuclear crisis' impact on seawater
TOKYO, March 23 Kyodo - The government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. faced the additional challenge of seawater contamination Tuesday as abnormally high levels of radioactive materials were detected in the sea near the crisis-hit nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
The radiation levels in seawater do not pose an immediate risk to human health, government and company officials said, but they are well above normal levels and Japan's authorities have not denied the possibility of the seawater poisoning fishery products.
Meanwhile, the health ministry said it ordered five municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture on Tuesday to advise residents against giving tap water to infants because it contains radioactive iodine beyond Japan's regulated standard for babies.
While the nuclear crisis triggered by a devastating March 11 quake and tsunami has yet to show clear signs of being resolved, concerns are growing over water and soil contamination in northeastern Japan as radioactive substances have also been detected in some vegetables grown in the vicinity of the plant.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said Tuesday it was studying seawater at eight locations 10 kilometers apart in the sea 30 km off the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, adding it was expecting to release the results on Thursday.
The utility known as TEPCO has started to analyze seawater off the Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture, though no radioactive substances were detected in seawater before the disaster during recent testing.
According to TEPCO, radioactive iodine-131 was detected Monday in a seawater sample taken around 330 meters south of the plant with a level 126.7 times higher than the legal concentration limit.
The detected material at the same location fell to a level 29.8 times above the limit on Tuesday morning, the firm said, but it has confirmed that seawater contamination has been detected in wider areas.
Radioactive iodine-131 has been detected at levels 80.3 times and 16.4 times higher than the legal limit in samples from 8 km and 16 km south of the nuclear power station, TEPCO said.
If a male adult continued to ingest 2-3 liters of water containing the same level of radioactive iodine every day for a year, the radiation levels would reach the 1 millisievert limit to which people can be safely exposed in one year, the company said.
Considering that people do not drink seawater, there is unlikely to be an immediate risk to human health, it added.
But the government's nuclear safety agency has not ruled out the possibility of contaminated seawater affecting fishery products in the future, saying only that radioactive materials ''will significantly dilute'' until they are taken up by marine species.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said at a press conference that it is too early to evaluate the impact of contaminated seawater on fishery products, but added that the government will start analyzing it soon.
The government ordered Fukushima and three other prefectures Monday to suspend shipments of spinach and another leaf vegetable following the detection of radioactive substances in the produce at levels beyond legal limits.
Edano said he is not considering taking similar measures against fishery products for now, while the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Tuesday called on Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures to step up checks on fishery products from their coastlines connected to the coast of Fukushima.
Fishery products from Fukushima are not on the market as local fishermen have given up their fishing rights, local government officials said.
With concern about seawater growing, radioactive iodine beyond the country's regulated standard for infants has been detected in parts of Fukushima Prefecture.
The health ministry said 120 becquerels of radioactive iodine was found per kilogram of water in Date on Monday, 150 becquerels in Koriyama, 220 becquerels in Minamisoma, and 130 becquerels in Kawamata, against an intake limit for babies of 100 becquerels. In Tamura, the level fell below the limit on Monday but stood at 161 becquerels on Saturday.
The ministry said there is no risk to the health of adults or children as the limit for them is set at 300 becquerels.
Meanwhile, shipments of vegetables other than spinach and ''kakina'' leaf vegetable produced in the four prefectures faced a spate of returns following the government's shipment suspension order on Monday for Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures as well as Fukushima.
While shipments of spinach coming to the Ota Market for vegetables in Tokyo on Tuesday totaled 12 tons, half the level on Saturday, the previous business day, boxes of other leaf vegetables remained on the shelf. The market was closed on Monday as it was a national holiday.
''It won't sell if 'from Ibaraki' is written on the box,'' a salesperson said, adding that he had ended up selling ''chingensai'' leaf vegetable for 7 yen per box against the normal price of 800 yen.
Edano said his government will make utmost efforts to prevent harmful rumors from spreading.
Following the magnitude 9.0 quake and ensuing tsunami, the cooling functions failed at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant and their cores are believed to have partially melted, releasing radioactive materials into the atmosphere, observers said.
The radiation levels in seawater do not pose an immediate risk to human health, government and company officials said, but they are well above normal levels and Japan's authorities have not denied the possibility of the seawater poisoning fishery products.
Meanwhile, the health ministry said it ordered five municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture on Tuesday to advise residents against giving tap water to infants because it contains radioactive iodine beyond Japan's regulated standard for babies.
While the nuclear crisis triggered by a devastating March 11 quake and tsunami has yet to show clear signs of being resolved, concerns are growing over water and soil contamination in northeastern Japan as radioactive substances have also been detected in some vegetables grown in the vicinity of the plant.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said Tuesday it was studying seawater at eight locations 10 kilometers apart in the sea 30 km off the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, adding it was expecting to release the results on Thursday.
The utility known as TEPCO has started to analyze seawater off the Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture, though no radioactive substances were detected in seawater before the disaster during recent testing.
According to TEPCO, radioactive iodine-131 was detected Monday in a seawater sample taken around 330 meters south of the plant with a level 126.7 times higher than the legal concentration limit.
The detected material at the same location fell to a level 29.8 times above the limit on Tuesday morning, the firm said, but it has confirmed that seawater contamination has been detected in wider areas.
Radioactive iodine-131 has been detected at levels 80.3 times and 16.4 times higher than the legal limit in samples from 8 km and 16 km south of the nuclear power station, TEPCO said.
If a male adult continued to ingest 2-3 liters of water containing the same level of radioactive iodine every day for a year, the radiation levels would reach the 1 millisievert limit to which people can be safely exposed in one year, the company said.
Considering that people do not drink seawater, there is unlikely to be an immediate risk to human health, it added.
But the government's nuclear safety agency has not ruled out the possibility of contaminated seawater affecting fishery products in the future, saying only that radioactive materials ''will significantly dilute'' until they are taken up by marine species.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said at a press conference that it is too early to evaluate the impact of contaminated seawater on fishery products, but added that the government will start analyzing it soon.
The government ordered Fukushima and three other prefectures Monday to suspend shipments of spinach and another leaf vegetable following the detection of radioactive substances in the produce at levels beyond legal limits.
Edano said he is not considering taking similar measures against fishery products for now, while the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Tuesday called on Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures to step up checks on fishery products from their coastlines connected to the coast of Fukushima.
Fishery products from Fukushima are not on the market as local fishermen have given up their fishing rights, local government officials said.
With concern about seawater growing, radioactive iodine beyond the country's regulated standard for infants has been detected in parts of Fukushima Prefecture.
The health ministry said 120 becquerels of radioactive iodine was found per kilogram of water in Date on Monday, 150 becquerels in Koriyama, 220 becquerels in Minamisoma, and 130 becquerels in Kawamata, against an intake limit for babies of 100 becquerels. In Tamura, the level fell below the limit on Monday but stood at 161 becquerels on Saturday.
The ministry said there is no risk to the health of adults or children as the limit for them is set at 300 becquerels.
Meanwhile, shipments of vegetables other than spinach and ''kakina'' leaf vegetable produced in the four prefectures faced a spate of returns following the government's shipment suspension order on Monday for Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures as well as Fukushima.
While shipments of spinach coming to the Ota Market for vegetables in Tokyo on Tuesday totaled 12 tons, half the level on Saturday, the previous business day, boxes of other leaf vegetables remained on the shelf. The market was closed on Monday as it was a national holiday.
''It won't sell if 'from Ibaraki' is written on the box,'' a salesperson said, adding that he had ended up selling ''chingensai'' leaf vegetable for 7 yen per box against the normal price of 800 yen.
Edano said his government will make utmost efforts to prevent harmful rumors from spreading.
Following the magnitude 9.0 quake and ensuing tsunami, the cooling functions failed at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant and their cores are believed to have partially melted, releasing radioactive materials into the atmosphere, observers said.
