Radioactive water leaked from a disused power station in Japan today during work to decommission it.
Parts of the Fugen nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture are currently being dismantled. While this was taking place, approximately 20 ml of water containing a ‘large’ amount of the radioactive isotope tritium leaked from a pipe.
Japanese broadcaster NHK One reported rather that detailed investigations were made to see if any workers had been splashed with the water, although the possibility of internal exposure via inhalation had been ruled out.
Citing the Nuclear Regulation Authority, they said no radioactive material had leaked outside the controlled area of the plant.
Radiation level measurements, both at the plant and in the surrounding area, are still normal.
The plant’s operator, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, said at a news conference that it was confident no workers had been exposed, and that the three initially feared had left the area.
They said a containment tent was set up around the site before work started to prevent radioactive material from spreading.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority was notified because the tritium concentration in the containment exceeded the legal limit.
What is tritium?
Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen, but is considered one of the weaker forms of radiation.
It cannot penetrate human skin unless through a cut or scrape, and is of more concern if drunk or inhaled, which plant officials said did not happen today.
However, the management of the decommissioned nuclear power plants is a source of concern for Japan.
The country has been releasing tritium-contaminated water from the Fukashima plant since 2023, diluted with seawater until it is weak enough not to be seen as a risk.
Fukashima was the site of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters after it was damaged in the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011.
The reactors flooded and leaked radiation, forcing more than 150,000 people to evacuate.
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