Fukushima Watch: Authority Chairman Not Convinced Level 3 Needed
Just a week after Japan’s nuclear regulator declared the leak of radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant big enough for a Level 3 incident rating, the regulator’s head is wondering publicly if it really deserved that rating after all.
Based on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, a Level 3 rating is considered a “serious incident.” For the sake of comparison, the 2005 leak of 83,000 liters of radioactive waste at the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site in the U.K. was also given a Level 3 rating on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s scale. Both the Fukushima Daiichi and the Chernobyl disasters were assigned the scale’s highest Level 7 rating.
While it might seem like Tokyo Electric +1.60%, the plant’s operator, would h******e a precise measurement of the amount of water that had been leaked, the current incident actually started with puddles discovered outside a storage tank of contaminated water. When workers subsequently checked the levels of the 1,000 metric ton water tank, they found only 700 tons. The missing water was presumed to h******e drained into a surrounding trench.
“We don’t think the leak was exactly 300 tons,” said Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, said at a regular press conference on Wednesday. “It could be much more or much less,” he added, saying that Tepco calculated the amount based on the assumption that the tank had been full.
“300 tons is a huge amount. If workers patrolled twice a day without noticing it leaking, I don’t understand,” Mr. Tanaka told reporters. “It wouldn’t be desirable, but we would h******e to change the rating if the leak turns out to be much smaller.”
Tepco has been forced to deal with ever-rising contaminated water levels at the Fukushima plant since the March 11, 2011 disaster. Given the sheer scope of containing the disaster, the way the utility has managed the plant has been very disorganized.
More In Fukushima Watch
Fukushima Watch: Previous Experiments With Ice Walls
Fukushima Watch: Where Did the Water Go?
Fukushima Watch: A Level 3 Incident at Daiichi
Fukushima Watch: Tepco Finally Gets an Official Cleanup Plan
Fukushima Watch: Tepco Eyes Another Rate Hike To Swing To Profit
in the latest leak, a panel investigation has revealed that only nine people supervised roughly 1,000 tanks at the site with two of them on a rotation shift. They patrolled the tanks twice a day to check if there are any signs of leaks, but they didn’t make records.
On Tuesday, Tepco said it would increase the number of patrollers to about 60 people.
“I h******e not been convinced with the data from Tepco. We need to collect more to make our own judgment,” said Mr. Tanaka.
The supposedly huge water leak is reminiscent of a case this past April, when Tepco announced up to 167 tons of contaminated water leaked from underground storage pools. At that time, Tepco hurriedly calculated the number and announced it to the public. But several weeks later, it revised down the amount sharply to about a few dozens liters after careful double checks.
A Tepco spokeswoman said “it’s true that we calculated 300 tons. We cannot say whether we will or we won’t change it later.”
在日本核能監管人員公佈福島核設施放射性廢水泄漏以足以達到3級一週後,監管負責人則公開質疑這是否真的達到這一評級。
基於國際核及放射性事件等級表,3級則被認為是“嚴重事故”。與之相較,2005年英國Sellafield核處理設施83000升放射性廢物泄漏也被國際原子能機構評定為3級。福島與切爾諾貝利災難都被評定為最高的7級。
儘管似乎該設施經營者,東電公司,可能對泄漏水的數量有精確測量,但目前的事件實際上最早於污染水處理箱外的水坑中發現的。當工人隨後檢查1000噸水箱時,他們發現僅剩700噸。缺少的水推定是流入了附近的溝渠中。
“我認為泄漏量不是正好300噸,”核監管局主席Shunichi Tanaka週三在常規媒體會議上説道。“這可能多很多或是少很多,”他又説道,並稱Tepco測算的數據是基於水箱是裝滿的.這一假設。
“300噸是個大數目。如果工人們每天巡查兩次卻未能注意到漏水,我無法理解,”Tanaka先生對記者説道,“這不是人們所想要的,但如果泄漏數量的確小很多,我們將不得不改變評級。”
自2011年3月11日地震後,Tepco被迫處理福島核電站不斷增高的污染水量。縱觀除災過程,該設施管理方式十分紊亂。在最近的泄漏中,小組調查披露只有9人監管近1000個水箱,採用2人輪班制。他們每天兩次巡查水箱以檢查十分有漏水跡象,但他們並未做記錄。
週二,Tepco表示其將把巡查人員人數增加到約60人。“我不相信Tepco的數據。我們需要收集更多資料做出我們自己的判斷,”Tanaka先生説道。
這一推測的大量水泄漏讓人想起了4月份的一次事件。當時Tepco宣佈有167噸受污染水從地下儲水池中泄漏。當時,Tepco匆忙計算數據並將之公之於眾。但在幾周後,其在進行仔細的二次核查後將數據減為僅有幾十升。
Tepco的一名發言人表示“我們的確測算為300噸。但我們沒法説之後我們會不會改變數據。”
相關文章
-
外研社英語Module5Unit2《There are fourteen peaches》課後反思
三年級是國小孩子的轉折點,考慮到孩子的年齡特點,又要為將來的知識轉折打下紮實的基礎.我在課堂教學中採用了靈活多樣的教學方法,融入了多種教學環節和元素。課後,我有許多感受願與大家一起分享。 成功之處:1、我的熱身 -
Could you tell me how to get to the National Stadium ?評課稿大綱
周老師的這一堂課是一堂清晰實在,能夠讓學生紮實基礎的英語課。教師充分考慮了學生這一年齡及其基礎階段的特點,在本課的教學設計和組織上注重了以下幾個方面。1、話題導入,能調動起學生興趣。良好的開頭對一堂課的成功 -
Unit 6 I like music that I can dance to評課稿範文
趙老師上的新目標英語9年級Unit 6 I like music that I can dance to SectionA 3a-4. Period 2公開課,聽了趙老師這節課,收穫頗多。趙老師老師這堂英語課,清晰實在、紮實系統、動靜結合,以新課程理念為指導,充分考慮了學生 -
Adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights演講稿
Adoption of the Declaration of Human RightsEleanor Roosevelt: Adoption of the Declaration of Human RightsMr. President, fellow delegates:The long and meticulous study and debate of which this Universa -
i recall with embarrassing clarity the flavor of those particular ashes ?
on slef-respect Joan Didion如何翻譯Although now,some years later,I marvel that a mind on the outs with itself should have nonetheless made painstaking record of its every tremor,I recall with embarras -
酒店英語:抱怨服務Complaining about the Service
Why is my order taking so long?我點的菜為何這麼久?I’ll see if the chef has begun to cook the meal.我去看看廚師是不是已經幫你做了。I believe that there is an error on my bill.我的賬單有誤。Look what yo -
關於暑假計劃英語作文:Plan for the Coming Summer Holiday
Inthe coming summer holiday, I am going to do a lot of interesting things.在即將到來的'暑假,我打算做很多有趣的事情。First, I will finish my holiday homework. Second, I am going tohave a good rest. I a -
英語四級考試備考作文Protecting the Intangible Cultural Heritages訓練題
1.保護非物質文化遺產很重要2.非物質文化遺產指的是3.為保護非物質文化遺產我們應該 範文Protecting the Intangible Cultural HeritagesLike tangible cultural heritages such as the Great Wall and the Forbid -
茶和中國的茶文化Tea and the Tea Culture of China作文
在日常學習、工作和生活中,大家都經常看到作文的身影吧,作文是經過人的思想考慮和語言組織,通過文字來表達一個主題意義的`記敍方法。為了讓您在寫作文時更加簡單方便,下面是小編為大家收集的茶和中國的茶文化Tea and the -
unit6 How long have you been collecting shells的評課稿
田老師上的是unit6《How long have you been collecting shells?》SectionA3a--4關於現在完成進行時的一節課,對於學生來説這是一個新的語法,但田老師充分把握了教材的重難點,並且充分考慮了學生這一年齡階段的特點,以新