Radiation Levels At Fukushima 'Exceedingly High' And 'Worse' Than Previously Thought

Japan: Radiation Levels at Fukushima Plant ‘Worse’ than Previously Thought

Gabrielle Reyes

Nuclear regulators in Japan recently revealed the radiation levels found inside the damaged reactor buildings at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant are “exceedingly high” and worse than previously thought, the Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday.

“Radiation levels were estimated at 10 sieverts per hour, a lethal dose for anyone who spends even an hour in the vicinity,” according to the report.

A massive amount of radioactive materials “attached to shield plugs of the containment vessels in the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors,” according to Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).

The finding poses an “extremely serious” challenge to the shutdown process NRA has been attempting at the site, part of an overall decommissioning of the plant.

“It appears that nuclear debris lies at an elevated place,” NRA chairman Toyoshi Fuketa said at a news conference earlier this month. He explained the elevated location of the debris would make it “exceptionally difficult” for workers to move the shield plugs as part of the planned dismantling process.

“This will have a huge impact on the whole process of decommissioning work” and may force the NRA to reassess its plan surrounding the project, according to Fuketa.