Tokyo Electric Power Co. will increase the number of locations it collects seawater samples from 10 to 16 to check levels of radioactive substances released from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, it has been learned.
According to TEPCO, the decision adheres to instructions given by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, an organ of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry. Checks at the new locations will begin this week, TEPCO said.
Four of the new checking points will be set at locations about three kilometers off the coast, and two will be set about eight kilometers off the coast.
Seawater checks near the coastline have proved insufficient, TEPCO said. The company has been checking seawater at 10 checking points, with six located about 15 kilometers off the coast. The other four are located very close to shore, including one near the plant's south drain outlet. The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is also checking seawater, but at about 30 kilometers off the coast.
According to TEPCO, samples collected from the previous areas were inconclusive. There were not enough to study whether radioactive substances are spreading south and north from the nuclear plant. The new checking points will enable the company to study more accurately whether its measures to prevent radioactive substances from spreading in the sea are working, TEPCO said.
According to the science ministry, radioactive iodine-131 at a concentration of four times the maximum allowable level under the law, and cesium-137 at a concentration of two times the maximum allowable level, were detected in seawater samples taken 34 kilometers off the coast Friday. Both figures were the highest since the ministry began taking samples there since March 23, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, highly concentrated iodine was detected from kounago (young sand launce) caught April 1 in waters off northern Ibaraki Prefecture.
Fishermen have refrained from catching fish near the Fukushima power plant. However, TEPCO said it is planning to catch fish and shellfish near the plant and check their radiation levels to study how the seawater contaminated by radioactive substances is affecting the area's ecosystem.
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