TEPCO: 10 trillion becquerels of strontium may have leaked into ocean
August 22, 2013 As reported by the Asahi Shimbun:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. calculated that up to 10 trillion becquerels of radioactive strontium and 20 trillion becquerels of cesium 137 were in contaminated water from the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant that flowed into the sea since the outset of the disaster.
TEPCO released the results of calculations on Aug. 21. The figures for both radioactive elements are more than 100 times the managed emissions of 220 billion becquerels over the course of one year of normal operations at the nuclear plant.
However, TEPCO officials said the calculated estimates were still below the central government's standards.
Based on the concentration of radioactive materials found in seawater within the port by the nuclear plant, estimates were made that between 3 billion and 10 billion becquerels of strontium flowed into the ocean daily, while between 4 billion and 20 billion becquerels of cesium 137 flowed into the ocean.
On the assumption that contaminated water mixed with groundwater and flowed into the ocean from May 2011, soon after the nuclear crisis unfolded, the estimates represent the maximum amounts of strontium and cesium that might have flowed into the ocean.
The plant was wrecked by the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.