Tokyo, Japan: Tokyo Electric said it has been aware since last spring that radiation levels in water running in one of the plant gutters rise when it rains but had confirmed the source of the contamination only on Tuesday.
Leakage of contaminated water into the sea in and of itself does not violate regulations because the outflow of radiation from the plant is controlled by monitoring radiation levels in sea water, a Nuclear Regulation Agency official said.
There have been no meaningful changes in radiation levels in sea water nearby, Tokyo Electric said.
The electric utility believes gravel and blocks laid on the roof of the building are the source of contamination, and said it plans to remove them by the end of March and take other measures to stop rainwater from being contaminated.
Sample rainwater collected at one corner of the rooftop contained 23,000 becquerels per litre of cesium 137, more than 10 times as high as radiation levels in sample water taken from other parts of the roof, Tokyo Electric said.
The operator of the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Tuesday it had found a pool of highly contaminated water on the roof of a plant building and that it had probably leaked into the sea through a gutter when it rained.
The finding comes four years after a massive earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc's Fukushima reactors, and 1-1/2 years after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assured the International Olympic Committee that radiation leaks at the plant were "under control".
Tokyo's victory over rivals Madrid and Istanbul to host the 2020 Olympic Games followed soon after Abe's declaration.
Leakage of contaminated water into the sea in and of itself does not violate regulations because the outflow of radiation from the plant is controlled by monitoring radiation levels in sea water, a Nuclear Regulation Agency official said.
Advertisement
The electric utility believes gravel and blocks laid on the roof of the building are the source of contamination, and said it plans to remove them by the end of March and take other measures to stop rainwater from being contaminated.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2015
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Japan Lifts Megaquake Warning, Says Citizens Can Return To Normal Life Japan Set To Lift Megaquake Warning If There Is No "Major Seismic Activity" Japan PM Fumio Kishida To Step Down Amid Sinking Poll Ratings Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources Video: Woman Tries To Jump Off Mumbai's Atal Setu, Saved By Driver, Cops Private Jets, Luxury Cars: Lavish Life Of "Ketamine Queen" Jasveen Sangha Bill Gates Calls India A "Global Leader In Breakthrough Innovations" Can Siddaramaiah Government Survive MUDA Scam Allegations? Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.