The Fukushima nuclear disaster continues to unfold two and a half years it began.
New high-radiation spots found at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant
Tokyo: The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant said on Thursday new spots of high radiation had been found near storage tanks holding highly contaminated water, raising fear of fresh leaks as the disaster goes from bad to worse.
The announcement comes after Tokyo Electric Power Corporation (Tepco) said this week contaminated water with dangerously high levels of radiation was leaking from a storage tank.
The time scale involved with the still unfolding Fukushima nuclear disaster is likely to be measured in decades, if not centuries.
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Radioactive Leaks in Japan Prompt Call for Overseas Help
By Yuji Okada, Jacob Adelman & Peter Langan
The crippled nuclear plant at Fukushima is losing its two-year battle to contain radioactive water leaks and its owner emphasized for the first time it needs overseas expertise to help contain the disaster.
“We will revamp contaminated-water management to tackle the issue at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant and seek expertise from within and outside of the country,” Aizawa said at a press conference last night in Tokyo. “There is much experience in decommissioning reactors outside of Japan. We need that knowledge and support.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said they are prepared to help.
This next update comes from my own state where D.O.E. also has tanks of nuclear waste left behind from making bombs, leaking over an extended period of time.
Hanford tank farm evacuated for possible leak
By Annette Cary — Tri-City Herald
RICHLAND — Workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation’s C Tank Farm were evacuated and other workers were ordered to take cover Wednesday night after an unusual radiation reading was detected near Tank C-101.
Thursday morning the Department of Energy said a transfer system may have leaked radioactive waste.
The radiation was detected near a sluice box, which holds equipment for the system used to spray liquid to help remove waste within Tank C-101, a 530,000-gallon capacity underground tank.
Hanford wastes sealed inside BLUE TARPS?
The sequester has slowed cleanup work at Hanford.