High-Level Cesium Found Deep Underground at Fukushima N-Plant

Tokyo, Aug. 1 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Electric Power Co. <9501> said Thursday that it has detected a high level of radioactive cesium in water taken from deep under its disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. TEPCO found that water in a hole dug for a cable pipe contained up to 950 million becquerels of cesium per liter. The pipe is located near another at the turbine building of the No. 2 reactor, where water has been found to contain high levels of radioactive substances. Studying water taken from one meter, 7 meters and 13 meters underground at a point some 65 meters from the Pacific Ocean, TEPCO found 950 million becquerels of cesium and 520 million becquerels of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances, including strontium, in the water from 13 meters underground. Water from one meter and 7 meters underground contained 340 million and 350 million becquerels of cesium respectively. Salt concentration in water from 13 meters underground was more than 10 times as high as that of water from one meter and 7 meters underground. In late July, TEPCO detected 2.35 billion becquerels of cesium in water collected from a cable trench closer to the ocean. END