Japan’s Fukushima plant is leaking radioactive water into the ocean

It's been over two years since the Japanese Fukushima reactor was damaged in a freak earthquake and tsunami aftermath, but we're still feeling the effects today. According to a new report by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, there's now an environmental emergency surrounding the plant once again, as contaminated ground water has risen above a shore barrier and has begun leaking into the Pacific ocean.

TEPCO, the company responsible for the plant – and for dumping thousands of gallons of contaminated sea water into the Pacific last year – is said to have been struggling to prevent more water from entering the plant, which inadvertently becomes contaminated. It's also been criticised in the past for not going public about radioactive water leaks.

The Fukushima disaster was the worst Nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986

To combat those early leaks, workers injected the ground with chemicals to help solidify it and prevent any water run off into the ocean. However, those barriers are only effective for 1.8 metres below the surface and they look to have been woefully ineffective.

Shinji Kinjo from the Nuclear Regulation Authority said that “new measures are needed to stop the water from flowing into the sea that way.” He also described the current situation as “an emergency.”

KitGuru Says: While so many dumb mistakes were made with the building of this plant and the handling of this disaster, it really makes it hard to get behind future nuclear efforts  when the fallout from a natural disaster is so severe.  [Thanks ABC]

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