Radioactive water flows into sea from crippled Fukushima plant
TOKYO. April 5. KAZINFORM About 12 tons of water contaminated with radioactive strontium leaked from a water treatment pipe at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Thursday, adding that a large portion probably flowed into the Pacific Ocean.
The water leaked in a process to reduce radioactive cesium. However, the existing water-treatment system is not capable of removing strontium, which tends to accumulate in bones and is believed to be a cause of bone cancer and leukemia, Kyodo reports.
The utility known as TEPCO apologized over the leakage. The water in question contained 16.7 becquerels of cesium per cubic centimeter and the company is also checking the concentration of strontium.
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