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Fukushima Leak Traced To Overflow Tank Built On a Slope
AmiMoJo writes "The ongoing leak of radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been traced to an overflow tank that was built on a slope. Because one side of the tank is lower than the other, water slops over the side when it is nearly full. TEPCO estimates that 430 litres of wastewater seeped outside the barrier around the tank and say some of this water may have flowed into the sea, about 200 meters away. They detected 200,000 becquerels per liter of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances in water pooled inside the barrier around the tank. The safety limit is 30 becquerels per liter. Officials say that a miscommunication with contractors led to the blunder."
It's not the lack of technology. It's the lack of geological stability. Fukushima is over 40 years old. The text provided on this subject here seems to convey a questionable assertion that it was intentionally built in its current position, but in a seismically active place like Japan, it is more likely that while the tank is built on a slope, it was built level. The shifting of the ground beneath the tank has probably caused the tank to lean a bit to one side.
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When you consider how rapidly and the fact there are hundreds of tanks, it is entirely possible that one tank out of a few was built slightly sloped.
The deviation must be quite small to only let out 430 litres slip out. 430 litres is literally a drop in the bucket when compared to the size of these tanks.
It's great news they were able to track this down.
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430 liters.... LITERS. This is about two 50 gallon drums. The only reason this is making news is because TEPCO's overall problem with radioactive water gushing into the ocean is as catastrophic as BP's DW Horizon - possibly worse -- but they won't admit it.
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It's worth remembering here that the tank might have been nice and level in early 2011.
The limit is 30 becquerels per litre for beta radiation emissions. The potassium level in your body also remains fairly constant, so you will only have an elevated level for a few hours until it passes out. The stuff in this water can sit inside you indefinitely. Becquerels are an absolute measure of radiation, where as "banana equivalent dose" is supposed to be an "equivalent dose" based on how much harm it does the body and is not in any way directly comparable.
Obviously the people who set these limits are not morons, they understand that it is perfectly safe to eat a banana or two. In any case, the level in this water is 200,000 becquerels per litre.
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scary
430 liters is about 2x 55 gallon drums. It's nothing. The level of radioactivity is also rather low; 200kBq is literally 200,000 decay events per liter. A 7' long granite counter top radiates over 100kBq into your food.
This is small and inconsequential. That it was even noticed is outstanding. The fact that the media has hysterical people like you in a lather is SOP.
Don't worry; the hype has had the intended effect; the idiots are convinced TEPCO is destroying the planet. Yurts and Hobby Farms Now!!!11 herp derp.
The fact that they're wasting resources to store water this clean is tragic. It should be pumped to the bottom of some ocean trench and the resources wasted storing it should be spent on useful work recovering the cores, spent fuel, etc. Instead, they're carpeting the area with water tanks in a monumentally stupid act of Nuclear Theater.
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