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Environment
TEPCO, Japanese Regulator Must Act Now, Stop Radioactive Water Leaks: Greenpeace
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Tokyo- (PanOrient News) Greenpeace called today upon the Japanese authorities to "step in now and ensure action is finally taken to stop the leaks of radioactive water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, that has been declared an "emergency" by Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority".
Dr. Rianne Teule, a nuclear campaigner at Greenpeace International, said in a statement from Amsterdam that, "the worsening leaks of contaminated water at the Fukushima nuclear plant prove Tokyo Electric Power Company, TEPCO, is incapable of dealing with the disaster".
"Concerns about contaminated water likely leaking into the ocean were voiced long ago by experts, but TEPCO anxiously hid the leaks. The leaks are an international environmental concern and a catastrophe for the local fishery community" he added.
The statement said, there's still a long road ahead before the Fukushima nuclear disaster is fully contained and the Japanese people continue to pay the price. It's clear the industry in Japan or elsewhere is unable to cope with an accident like Fukushima, nor is it taking any responsibility. The only way to prevent a nuclear disaster is to abandon nuclear energy and rapidly shift towards renewables."
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Friday that an estimated 20 trillion to 40 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium may have flowed from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean since May 2011.
The plant operator reported the estimate to the Nuclear Regulation Authority after recently admitting that toxic water, accumulating at the site since the nuclear crisis was triggered on March 11, 2011, is seeping into the sea.
TEPCO said the release is around the level allowed under safety regulations, which is 22 trillion becquerels annually, but acknowledged that it had not taken place in a controlled way.
PanOrient News
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