The Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered a leak of more than five tons of radioactive water at 8:55 a.m. (local time) this Wednesday. According to information from the Japanese news agency Kiodo, the contaminated liquid contains about 22 billion becquerels, the unit that measures radioactive substances.
The leak was discovered when plant workers were alerted to the existence of contaminated water seeping through an exhaust duct located in the wall of a "high temperature incinerator" at the plant.
Tepco, the company that manages the plant, has reported that the leak occurred while the water treatment equipment was being cleaned, as the valves were left open. Even so, the company has stated that the leak would not affect the external environment, that is, outside the area in which the plant is located.
In any case, no relevant alterations have been detected in the control posts around the plant or in the readings of the water monitors in the gutters inside, according to the company.
