– ‘Radioactive Spill’ at Fukushima: Tons seeping into ground; ‘Widespread structural problems’ indicated with tanks — Nitrogen injection for preventing explosions at reactors temporarily halted (ENENews, Oct 1, 2013):
Voice of America, Oct. 1, 2013: Another Radioactive Spill Reported at Fukushima Nuclear Plant […] The cleanup effort at Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered another setback Tuesday when workers spilled four tons of radioactive water into the soil. […] TEPCO said on Tuesday that the accident occurred during the transfer of polluted rain water from one of the plant’s concrete gutters to an empty storage tank. […]
Reuters, Oct. 1, 2013: Tokyo Electric says contaminated water leaked at Fukushima […] [Tepco] found high levels of radiation just above the ground near other tanks, suggesting widespread structural problems with the tanks. Tepco’s stock, which was up in the morning, fell after the utility announced the latest problem with water storage, closing down 4.1 percent. […]
AFP, Oct. 1, 2013: Four tons of radioactive water spilled in Fukushima […] Workers were pumping rain water that was trapped in a concrete gutter into an empty 12-tonne tank that sat on open soil, said a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO). “Work crew started operating the pump around 10:38 am. At 11:50 am, they found water was spilling from the manhole on top of the tank,” the spokesman said. […] “The water itself was rain water. But it was from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and could contain radioactive materials,” he said, adding: “The water seeped into the ground”.
Reuters, Oct. 1, 2013: […] Earlier on Tuesday, Tepco said one of three units for injecting nitrogen into the damaged reactors shut down due to a worker mishandling the equipment, but was restarted later. Tepco injects nitrogen into the reactors to prevent explosions similar to those that rocked the site in the early days of the disaster.