WASHINGTON - JAPAN'S Fukushima nuclear plant may have run out of places to store radioactive water, US scientists said Monday after the plant operator reported leaks that could contaminate the ocean.
The plant is likely grappling with massive amounts of water, dumped by helicopter and water cannon for cooling after the power went out in the days following a massive earthquake and tsunami, said the Union of Concerned Scientists.
While workers have been able to stop injecting seawater into the reactor cores in units one, two and three, they face a new problem of how to deal with water that is now radioactive and in need of storage and treatment.
'They have a huge amount of radioactively contaminated water,' said Dr Dave Lochbaum of the UCS, noting that leaks have been detected in reactor buildings around units one, two and three at the complex.
'It is difficult to determine where that water is coming from. It obviously shouldn't be there in this quantity and it is posing some challenges to the workers,' said Dr Lochbaum.
'They need to get some control over that, some place to put it, some processing plant that can treat the water and remove as much radiation as possible,' he said. 'I don't want to criticise the fact that they needed to use that water, but the legacy of that problem is one they need to get their arms around quickly.' -- AFP
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