Radiation to extremely high levels in the reactor in Japan

The level of radioactivity of the water inside a reactor belonging to the Fukushima I nuclear power plant to "extremely high" level, seawater near the plant also has increased levels of radioactive material.

Experts say that the Japanese nuclear crisis " is far from over ". Meanwhile workers are attempting to bring water with high radioactivity in the reactor area out, after a case of workers suffering from foot burns due to stepping on this type of water. The installation of the cable to put power in, restoring the reactor cooling system is still ongoing.

Today, workers in the No. 2 reactor have just evacuated urgently due to very high levels of radiation in the furnace , AFP quoted the Japanese news agency as saying. The level of radiation in the bottom of the furnace 2 is measured at 1,000 msv per hour . A dose of 1,000 msv of human radiation may show immediate effects such as nausea and vomiting. A level of 100 msv or more per year of exposure may increase the risk of cancer in infected people.

Radiation level to "extremely high" level

Tepco, the power plant operator, withdrew its statement this morning, that the radiation level in the furnace was 10 million times higher than the permitted level. They said they had miscalculated.

However, experts fear that such a high level of radiation indicates the risk of the reactor core, where the nuclear fuel rods, have melted somewhat. Japan's nuclear safety agency spokesman commented that this level is "extremely high ".

NYT posted a comment from director of international nuclear safety agency Yukia Amano that the nuclear crisis in Japan is still far from the end, possibly even weeks or even months. However, he did not criticize the Japanese government's efforts, adding that "more needs to be done to end this case ".

Japanese government spokesman Yukio Edano admitted: " We want to set a clear deadline, when this crisis will be solved, so are those working in the field, " said Edano. on NHK today.

"But I can't be more optimistic, with the current situation ."

High levels of radioactivity in the country make it more difficult to rescue nuclear power plants, causing many people to worry that fuel rods in the furnace or valves and pipes have leaked. One of the worst possible scenarios is that the fuel in the core of the reactor - consisting of a mixture of uranium and plutonium - has melted and escaped through a high pressure steel shell surrounding it.

"High concentrations of radioactive water are present in the furnace and then flow into the sea, causing concern for the life of fish and other organisms ", an expert of the French Nuclear Radiation Safety Institute said. " A hypothesis is that the reactor shell may be punctured, radioactive material is escaping ."

Water in the Pacific, about a few hundred meters from the factory, currently has an iodine content of 1,250 times higher than permitted, Toyo Electric Company, the operator of the nuclear power plant, said. However, experts say that this level does not threaten human health in iodine decay quite quickly, within 8 days. When people ingest food that is sourced from contaminated seawater, the amount of iodine has disappeared before, an expert commented.

However, another risk factor is cesium-137, which has a half-life of dozens of years - currently 80 times higher than the permitted level. Both types of impregnation can cause cancer in humans.

Concerned that the amount of salt accumulated in the furnace could corrode parts or affect the heat emission of parts, Japanese engineers began pumping fresh water into the reactors. The US military supported this work by carrying two freshwater barges from their base near Tokyo.

Japan has increased the area of ​​the evacuation area around the nuclear plant, from a radius of 20 to 30 km.Tokyo's tap water has been found to be more radioactive than allowed and should not be used in newborns. Green Peace's environmental organization announced that it had begun its own observations and assessed that local authorities always " underestimate the risk ".