Perilous
Times
Japanese seabed radiation levels soar
* From correspondents in Tokyo
* From: AFP
* May 04, 2011 2:06PM
LEVELS of radioactive substances have jumped in the Pacific seabed
off Japan near the nuclear power plant crippled by a massive
tsunami in March, according to the plant operator.
Seabed samples collected some 15km from the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear plant contained 1400 becquerels of radioactive caesium-137
per kilogram, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said.
The level is more than 600 times higher than a maximum 2.3
becquerels per kilogram detected in the past off the north-eastern
prefecture of Fukushima.
The samples, taken on Friday, also contained 1300 becquerels of
caesium-134 and 190 becquerels of iodine-131, according to a TEPCO
statement issued late on Tuesday after the first analysis of
seabed soil since the March 11 disaster.
Levels of the two materials were too low to be gauged in the past,
a TEPCO spokeswoman said. The company did not say whether the
levels were considered harmful.
Samples taken at another spot 20km away from the plant also showed
similarly high radiation levels.
TEPCO said it would continue to examine radiation levels.
"We cannot say anything definite after just one probe. We will
conduct more sample examinations and keep a watch," the
spokeswoman said.
The samples were taken 20-30 metres deep and three kilometres from
the coast.
The Fukushima plant has leaked radiation into air, soil and ocean
since it was severely damaged by the massive quake and tsunami.
Greenpeace said today it had begun independent tests of water
samples from the ocean near Japan's crippled for radiation
contamination.
The samples will be collected outside Japan's 19km territorial
waters in line with government rules, Greenpeace said.