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| Fukushima nuclear plant: Toxic isotope found in groundwater | Fukushima nuclear plant: Toxic isotope found in groundwater |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope have been found in groundwater at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says. | High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope have been found in groundwater at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says. |
| Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said tests showed strontium-90 was present at 30 times the legal rate. | Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said tests showed strontium-90 was present at 30 times the legal rate. |
| The radioactive isotope tritium has also been detected at elevated levels. | The radioactive isotope tritium has also been detected at elevated levels. |
| The plant, crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, has recently seen a series of water leaks and power failures. | The plant, crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, has recently seen a series of water leaks and power failures. |
| The tsunami knocked out cooling systems to the reactors, which melted down. | The tsunami knocked out cooling systems to the reactors, which melted down. |
| Water is now being pumped in to the reactors to cool them but this has left Tepco with the problem of how to safely store the contaminated water. | Water is now being pumped in to the reactors to cool them but this has left Tepco with the problem of how to safely store the contaminated water. |
| There have been several reports of leaks from storage tanks or pipes. | There have been several reports of leaks from storage tanks or pipes. |
| Strontium-90 is formed as a by-product of nuclear fission. Tests showed that levels of strontium in groundwater at the Fukushima plant had increased 100-fold since the end of last year, Toshihiko Fukuda, a Tepco official, told media. | |
| Tritium, commonly used in glow-in-the-dark watches, was found at eight times the allowable level. | Tritium, commonly used in glow-in-the-dark watches, was found at eight times the allowable level. |
| A Tepco official said that samples from the sea showed no rise in either substance and the company believed the groundwater was being contained by concrete foundations. | A Tepco official said that samples from the sea showed no rise in either substance and the company believed the groundwater was being contained by concrete foundations. |
| But the discovery is another set-back for Tepco's plan to pump groundwater from the plant into the sea, correspondents say. | But the discovery is another set-back for Tepco's plan to pump groundwater from the plant into the sea, correspondents say. |