Japan Nuke Stops Water Treatment After Radiation Spike

"TOKYO — A system to clean massive amounts of contaminated water at the site of Japan's nuclear disaster was shut down Saturday, just hours after it began full operations, because a component filled with radioactivity much more quickly than expected.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the tsunami-hit Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, is investigating the cause and isn't sure when it will restart the system, company spokesman Junichi Matsumoto said.

Fresh water is being pumped in to cool damaged reactor cores, and is getting contaminated in the process. Some 105,000 tons of highly radioactive water have pooled across the plant, and could overflow within a couple of weeks if action is not taken."

The Associated Press had the story June 18, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

"TEPCO Documents Show Problems Encountered in Venting, Pumping Water To Damaged Reactors" (Asahi Shimbun)

"Japan Strains to Fix a Reactor Damaged Before Quake" (New York Times)

"Nuclear Watchdog Slams Japan Reaction" (Australian Herald Sun)

"Scientists To Study Japanese Nuclear Impact on  Sea" (Nashville Tennessean)

"Failure Guru Probing Japan's Nuclear Catastrophe for Lessons Not Culprits" (Bloomberg)

"Japan Finds Hot Spots in Areas That Seemed Safe" (Washington Post)

"Moody's Cuts Nuclear Operator Tepco Rating To Junk Status" (Reuters)

"IAEA Draws Lessons from Japan Nuclear Disaster " (China Radio International)

"Japan Nuclear Plant Borrowed Disaster Gear: Report" (CBC News)

"Tokyo Faulted for Crisis Readiness" (Wall St. Journal)