Technology also isn't advanced enough yet to manage the waste by reducing its toxicity. 3 reactor pool was recently completed.Ī decade after the accident, Japan doesn't yet have a plan to dispose of the highly radioactive melted fuel, debris and waste at the plant. On a recent visit, AP journalists donned partial protective gear to tour a low-radiation area: a helmet, double socks, cotton gloves, surgical masks, goggles and a vest with a personal dosimeter.įull protection gear, which means hazmat coveralls, a full-face mask, a head cover, triple socks and double rubber gloves, was required at a shared storage pool where fuel relocation from the No. ![]() ![]() In another building, plant workers - about 4,000 per day now - go through automated security checkpoints and radiation measurements.īecause radiation levels have fallen significantly following decontamination, full protection gear is only needed in a few places in the plant, including in and around the melted reactor buildings. The first thing visitors see is a stylish office building that holds the TEPCO decommissioning unit. TEPCO has managed to cut the amount of contaminated water to one-third of what it used to be through a series of measures. Even so, they remain in the water, some scientists say, raises a concern about their impact on marine life from a long-term release. TEPCO and government officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the water, but all other radionuclides selected for treatment can be reduced to safe levels for release. A decision on that recommendation is pending. A government panel's recommendation that the water be released into the sea is facing fierce opposition from local residents, especially fishermen concerned about further damage to the area's reputation. TEPCO says the tanks' 1.37 million ton storage capacity will be full in 2022. The 1,000 tanks filled with treated but still radioactive water tower over workers and visitors at the plant. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE STORED RADIOACTIVE WATER? ![]() The Fukushima disaster workers 16 photosĪn investigative report released last Thursday by three company-appointed lawyers said TEPCO's then-President Masataka Shimizu instructed officials not to use the specific description under alleged pressure from the Prime Minister's Office, though the investigators found no proof of such pressure.Tiny amounts of radiation have continued leaking into the sea and elsewhere through underground passages, though the amount today is small and fish caught off the coast are safe to eat, scientists say. TEPCO instead described the reactors' condition as less serious "core damage" for two months after the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, wrecked the plant, even though utility officials knew and computer simulations suggested meltdowns had occurred. Japanese woman breaks silence on Fukushima-related cancer."I would say it was a cover-up," Hirose told a news conference. President Naomi Hirose's apology followed the revelation last week that an investigation had found Hirose's predecessor instructed officials during the 2011 disaster to avoid using the word "meltdown." TOKYO - The utility that ran the Fukushima nuclear plant acknowledged Tuesday its delayed disclosure of the meltdowns at three reactorswas tantamount to a cover-up and apologized for it.
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