Plutonium detected in soil at Fukushima nuke plant

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

URGENT: Plutonium detected in soil at Fukushima nuke plant: TEPCO

TOKYO, March 28, Kyodo

Plutonium has been detected in soil at five locations at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday.

The operator of the nuclear complex said that the plutonium is believed to have been discharged from nuclear fuel at the plant, which was damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/81589.html

Plutonium has a half-life of ~24,000 years.

This situation just got a whole lot worse.

It would have been nice if they had told us this as soon as they knew about it. Then it could have been specifically monitored.
Plutonium is a lot harder to detect than other isotopes.

It could be all over the place by now.

[flamingdem]

1. They sent tests supposedly over a week ago to an independent facility

just more stalling. They probably knew and thus were fully focused on No. 3 when the USA was saying hey there is no more water in No. 4s pool!

So the tests show the results of nine days ago not current levels.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. "We believe the level is not serious enough to harm human health."

http://news.ph.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4742840

By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 3/28/2011

Plutonium found in soil at Japan nuclear plant: operator

Plutonium was detected Monday in soil at five places at a tsunami-stricken nuclear plant in Japan, but the levels are not believed to pose a threat to human health, the operator said.

"Of the samples from five locations, we believe that there is a high possibility that at least two of them are directly linked with the current reactor accident," a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

But he added: "We believe the level is not serious enough to harm human health."

The level of plutonium was similar to that detected in Japan after neighbouring countries such as North Korea and China conducted nuclear experiments, the spokesman said.

…

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

3. that would be funny if it wasn't so sad.