Record high radiation at Japanese nuclear power plant

Toyko Electric Company (TEPCO) said yesterday it recorded a record high radiation level at the Fukushima I. nuclear power plant.

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The level of radioactivity up to at least 10 sievert units per hour near the area where the debris is impacted by the tsunami, is located between the Fukushima No.1 and No.2 reactors. Dad far exceeds the 3 to 4 sievert per hour recorded at the No.1 reactor on June 3.

"Three workers were exposed to up to 4 millisievert of radiation while measuring radiation," a TEPCO spokeswoman said . "We are still investigating the cause of this high level of radiation."

Workers at Fukushima I. Factory photo: AP

Sievert is the unit that measures the level of radioactive contamination in the human body, named after Swedish physicist Rolf Sievert. Meanwhile, a millisievert is one-thousandth of a sievert.

The Japanese government and TEPCO said they are still pursuing the goal of bringing reactors at the Fukushima I plant to a safe cooling state in January 2012. t The latest information is an established water circulation system.

Fukushima I factory was seriously damaged after the tsunami earthquake in Japan on March 11. Broken reactors lead to molten fuel rods that raise concerns about radiation coming out of the environment. 10,000 people still live in evacuation zones after being forced to leave their homes in the area around the factory.