Fukushima reactor #1

Highest radiation level detected in water found in drainage ditch at Fukushima nuclear plant

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it has found the highest radiation levels recorded since it began checking water in drainage ditches in August at its crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant

Asahi Shimbun,

24 October, 2013

The utility announced Oct. 24 that it had detected radioactive strontium and other beta ray emitting substances measuring 140,000 becquerels per liter in water sampled in one of the facility’s drainage ditches.

The legal standard for strontium emissions is 30 becquerels per liter.

TEPCO officials said the high radiation level was detected in water collected on Oct. 23. The levels in water taken on Oct. 22 were 59,000 becquerels per liter.

"We believe it stems from the effects of rain that has fallen until now that has flushed out radioactive materials from the surrounding areas into the drainage ditch," a TEPCO official said.

No specific leak that can be linked to the contaminated water has yet been discovered.

The ditch where the high radiation levels were detected is near the tank that was discovered in August to have leaked about 300 tons of radioactive water. The location of the recent find was just 700 meters from where the drainage ditch empties into the ocean.

TEPCO workers have placed sandbags further along the ditch in an attempt to prevent radioactive material from reaching the ocean.

Radiation readings spiking to record levels all around Fukushima plant

ENENews,

24 October, 2013

Businessweek, Oct. 23, 2013: Tepco Says Rains Causing Spikes in Fukushima Radiation Readings [...] Water samples from another ditch had readings of 15,000 becquerels of beta radiation, again higher than the record 2,200 becquerels in an Oct. 1 sample from the same site, Tepco said. Beta radiation includes strontium-90 linked to causing cancers such as leukemia.

Bloomberg, Oct. 23, 2013:  Tepco said in a separate release that beta radiation levels of 510,000 becquerels per liter were found Oct. 20 in a sample of rainwater that had accumulated between a storage tank and a cement barrier built to contain leaks. That compares to 450,000 becquerels on Oct. 19 and 360,000 becquerels on Oct. 18, the company said. The Oct. 20 sample was the highest taken so far from within the barrier, the Sankei newspaper reported.

Xinhua, Oct. 22, 2013: Radioactive cesium levels spike in ocean near Fukushima [...] (TEPCO) said that trace amounts of radioactive cesium-137 were detected at a level of 1.6 becquerels per liter [1,600 becquerels per m³] in water samples taken from the adjacent Pacific Ocean, marking the second time such radioactive materials have been found in the sea since surveys began in August. The previous radioactive finding in October measured lower [...]