TOKYO, (PNA/Kyodo) — The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said Friday that it has detected a surge in the radiation level of groundwater collected near a tank that leaked highly toxic water in August.
The water, extracted from an observation well Thursday, showed a record high 400,000 becquerels per liter of beta radiation, emitted from radioactive materials such as strontium-90.
The level was 61 becquerels the previous day, according to plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.
TEPCO spokesman Masayuki Ono told a press conference that the rise in groundwater contamination is related to contaminated soil around where 300 tons of highly radioactive water leaked from a storage tank.