Mishaps related to the massive amount of contaminated water at the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant are especially sensitive while the government tries to get support for discharging treated wastewater into the sea — a process that will take decades and has worried people inside and outside
Industry Minister
The move followed a series of mishaps led by human errors at the plant, where three nuclear reactors melted down after the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Most recently, 1.5 metric ton of highly radioactive water escaped in early February during valve checks at a SARRY treatment machine designed to remove cesium and strontium from the contaminated water, according to the plant operator,
No one was injured and the spill did not escape the plant compound.
Saito called on
“The mishaps would trigger unease in the local community as well as many others in and outside
In the February incident, workers left several air valves open while they flushed the machine with filtered water — a process intended to reduce radiation levels before the maintenance work. The valves should have been closed, but workers started the flushing without checking.
The leaked water was 10 times more radioactive than the legally releasable limit, according to
In another accidental leak in October, four workers were sprayed with radioactive liquid waste while cleaning a treatment facility. Two were briefly hospitalized for skin contamination, though none showed symptoms of poisoning.
Kobayakawa apologized to the minister over the mishaps, which he said “should not have happened from safety perspectives, and as president I take it very seriously.” After the meeting with the minister, Kobayakawa told reporters that he planned to study ways to effectively prevent human errors while seeking advice from outside experts.
The filtering machine involved in the mishaps are part of TEPCO’s treated controversial wastewater discharges. The project has been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries including
The Japanese government has struggled to ease concerns in and outside the country, while hoping the International Atomic Energy Agency’s assistance and reviews affirming the discharges have met international safety standards would help win credibility.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
, source