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Nuke plant: New radiation leak
19/07/2007 14:50 - (SA)
Tokyo - Japan's nuclear watchdog on Thursday found that a small amount of radiation had again leaked from the world's largest nuclear plant, officials said.
The radioactive particles leaked from an exhaust pipe filter either on Tuesday or Wednesday, a spokesperson for Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) said.
But the spokesperson emphasised that there was no public health risk.
It was the latest revelation to surface about damage to the plant from Monday's 6.8-magnitude quake, the epicentre of which was just 9km away.
Tepco first revealed some 12 hours after the earthquake that a small amount of radioactive water had leaked outside.
Shut down indefinitely
It later revised upwards the level of radioactivity in the water and said it had also detected radiation particles in one of the filters on Tuesday.
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the latest leak came from the same exhaust pipe and took place between midday on Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
"The latest leak was found in a follow-up inspection to the trouble in the exhaust pipe on Tuesday," an official at the agency said, adding that the amount was "very small."
He said the new leak was a one-off occurrence and not a continuous leak between the time of the earthquake and Wednesday, as some earlier media reports said.
The plant has been shut down indefinitely for a safety study.
- AFP
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