九乡新闻网许率智综艺节目:Japan dumps contaminated water into Pacific -...
来源：百度文库 编辑：九乡新闻网 时间：2024/04/27 13:33:50
Japan dumps contaminated water into Pacific
16:46, April 05, 2011 
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stumbleupon The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started to discharge contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean, to speed up efforts to tackle the nuclear crisis.In a bid to free up storage space for even more highly radioactive water that has hampered efforts to stabilize the reactors, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said it would have to get rid of less toxic water.
A total of 15,000 tons of water containing radioactive materials was set to be released, including contaminated groundwater from near No. 5 and No. 6 reactors, TEPCO said.
The level of radioactive substances in the water is up to 500 times the legal limit permitted for release in the environment, the Kyodo news agency reported.
TEPCO has revealed that radioactive iodine-131 more than 10,000 times the legal concentration limit was detected in the water found in the pit.
The water had been left in several parts of the plant, preventing workers from handling problems there.
Japan's Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency authorized the dumping as an emergency measure and said the disposal would pose "no major health risk."
"We have no choice but to release water tainted with radioactive materials into the ocean as a safety measure," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.
However, he said the government has placed priority on not letting the highly radioactive water flow into the sea.
The government warned that it could take several months to get the leak under control. Workers have begun putting dye in the water to find the location of other possible leaks at the plant.
Experts say that while the radioactive materials are likely to be diluted in the sea, it remains uncertain how the marine environment will be affected when considering the impact of highly radioactive water already leaked into the sea.
Contamination from the plant has been found in the air, ground, seawater and in regional produce including vegetables, dairy products, beef and mushrooms.
Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano stressed the need to review nuclear power in his opening speech at the the Convention on Nuclear Safety's 5th review meeting in Vienna.
"The situation at Fukushima Daiichi remains very serious. The immediate priority is to overcome the crisis and stabilize the reactors, but we must also begin the process of reflection and evaluation," said Amano.
He added more should be done to strengthen the safety of nuclear power plants across the world so that the risk of a future accident is significantly reduced.
Noting some countries have announced reviews of their plans for nuclear power, Amano said the basic drivers behind the interest of nuclear power haven't changed just because of the accident.
"These include rising global energy demand as well as concerns about climate change, volatile fossil fuel prices and energy security," he said.
The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11 so far have left 12,321 people dead and more than 15,347 unaccounted for in Japan, according to the National Police Agency.
Source:Xinhua
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