NPR : News

Filed Under:

Radiocative Water Leak At Fukushima Worse Than First Thought

By: Scott Neuman
September 1, 2013
comments

Radiation surrounding Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has increased 18 fold following a report last month that radioactive water had leaked into the ground around the plant, which was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., which owns the Dai-Ichi Fukushima plant, reports that radiation around the site is at 1,800 millisieverts per hour, a level that Reuters says is "enough to kill an exposed person in four hours."

Previously, the utility, also known as Tepco, said the leaking water was at around 100 millisieverts per hour.

The BBC says:

"In addition, Tepco says it has discovered a leak on another pipe emitting radiation levels of 230 millisieverts an hour.

The plant has seen a series of water leaks and power failures."

Fukushima lost power when the 2011 tsunami smashed ashore causing a cascading effect that damaged the reactor's cooling system and sent workers scrambling to mitigate radiation leaks.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Arts & Culture

NPR

Sandwich Monday: The Limited Edition Candy Corn Oreo

For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try a new take on the classic sandwich cookie: the Limited Edition Candy Corn Oreo.

Food

NPR

Sandwich Monday: The Limited Edition Candy Corn Oreo

For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try a new take on the classic sandwich cookie: the Limited Edition Candy Corn Oreo.

Politics

NPR

Has The US Forgotten Egypt?

Political unrest in Egypt might seem low on the list of concerns for the U.S. government. But one commentator says the situation there needs to be dealt with swiftly. Guest host Celeste Headlee speaks with Shadi Hamid, of the Brookings Doha Center, about the risks of forgetting Egypt.

Technology

NPR

Wanted: A New Generation Of High-Tech Aviation Workers

Millions of U.S. factory jobs have been lost in the past decade. Now, in North Carolina, high school students are being encouraged to think about taking manufacturing jobs. But this isn't the furniture-making or textile labor of generations past — it's a new kind of highly technical work in aviation.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.