New radiation scare

Dangerous levels of radiation detected in water thought to be leaking from a stricken Japanese reactor dealt a new setback yesterday to efforts to avert a nuclear disaster.

Radiation in puddles near reactor two at the Fukushima plant was more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour, forcing the evacuation of workers toiling to restore the cooling systems, operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said.

“It is an extremely high figure,” nuclear safety agency spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama said, adding there was a “high possibility” that the contaminated water had leaked from the reactor.

A single dose of 1,000 millisieverts can cause temporary radiation sickness, including nausea and vomiting. An exposure of 100 millisieverts per year is considered the lowest level at which an increase in cancer risk is evident.

Tepco, however, retracted an announcement that the radiation levels were 10 million times higher than usual, saying it had made a mistake.

Workers were trying to pinpoint the exact source of the radioactive water leak, but there are concerns that fuel rod vessels or their valves and pipes are damaged.

A key concern is how to safely pump away the highly radioactive water, but chief government spokesman Yukio Edano admitted progress at the site was slow.

“It will take some time in order to remove the water while ensuring the safety of workers,” Mr Edano told a press conference.

There was also a warning from Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, that the emergency could go on for weeks, if not months, given the damage to the plant, The New York Times reported.

An update on the agency’s website said the situation at the Fukushima plant “remains very serious”.

Last week three workers received medical treatment after stepping in radioactive water during efforts to install cables and restore critical reactor cooling systems.

The incident heaped more pressure on the plant operator because two were hospitalised after wearing inadequate safety gear.

But officials said yesterday the three would be discharged from medical care with no sign of serious injuries, apparently because they suffered only localised exposure to their feet.