Radioactivity Increases in Fukushima Water, TEPCO is out of Storage Tanks

[FBaggins]

Radioactivity levels in water increased dramatically at Fukushima reactor units 1 and 2. Moreover, Cs-134 and I-129 levels 15km offshore now exceed safety standards. TEPCO pumped contaminated water out of the tunnel of reactor unit 2 into a reactor condenser but TEPCO has run out of places to store radioactive water from other reactors. The lack of storage tanks for radioactive water is stopping TEPCO from restoring the cooling systems of the damaged reactors. TEPCO is trying to finish building makeshift storage tanks by the end of May.

Moreover, new measurements show that the spent fuel pool water of unit 4 contains high levels of radioactive cesium and iodine, indicating that the spent fuel's cladding has been damaged. This will complicate removal of spent fuel from the damaged facility.

The good news is that environmental monitoring shows that airborne releases of radioactivity have greatly decreased. Efforts to cool the reactors has successfully kept airborne radionuclide releases down while producing increasing amounts of radioactive waste water.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/15/967112/-Radioactivity-Increases-in-Fukushima-Water,-TEPCO-is-out-of-Storage-Tanks

And in the "No! Things are NOT getting any better!" category:

[jpak]

1. 129-I has a half-life of 17 million years - which means it will accumulate in macroalgae

for a long time

Japanese seaweed mariculture may be impacted for many many years...

yup

[DCKit]

3. A half-life of 17 million years would seem to make it the least dangerous of all substances...

coming off the reactors at Fukushima.

Unless the volume is incredibly high.

[jpak]

5. It concentrates in seaweeds and in the thyroids of folks that eat them

that's the problem

Once they stop releasing 131-iodine, it will decay away to insignificant levels in 80 days.

the 129-I will still be around

yup

[FBaggins]

6. How much I-129 has been detected?

And how dangerous is it compared to I-131?

If you don't know... why are you making the point?

And if you DO know... why are you making the point?

I swear... you guys read a new item on some UFO website and suddenly it's the New Great Danger^TM!!!

Do you know what the fission yield of I-129 is compared to 131?

[FBaggins]

4. It also isn't particularly radioactive.

It doesn't matter how much "accumulates" in seaweed because your thyroid can only absorb so much... and it isn't a very active substance.

And how much has been detected?

[flamingdem]

2. I bet they can't resolve the water problem because they don't want to pay enough nt