Robot readings in Japan nuke plant 'harsh'
Tokyo (UPI) Apr 18, 2011 Remote-control robots at the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan have measured a "harsh environment" for humans to work in, officials said. The measurements, which will complicate efforts to stabilize the damaged reactors, came a day after the company operating the Fukushima Daiichi plant said it would take until the end of the year to bring the crisis under control, the BBC reported Monday. Robots measured elevated levels of radiation inside the buildings housing reactors Nos. 1 and 3 Sunday. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said exposure to the radiation levels measured in the No. 3 reactor for 4 1/2 hours would exceed the emergency safety limit for power plant workers. "It's a harsh environment for humans to work inside," said Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Operator TEPCO said it hoped to decrease radiation leaks in three months and to cool the reactors within nine months.
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Japan's TEPCO pours radiation-absorbing mineral in sea Tokyo (AFP) April 16, 2011 The Japanese operator of a stricken nuclear plant said Saturday it has started dumping a mineral into the sea that absorbs radioactive substances, aiming to slow down contamination of the ocean. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said it had begun dropping zeolite near a water outlet from the Fukushima Daiichi plant - which has been leaking radiation since it was crippled by a March 11 quake ... read more |
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