The Fallout Grows At Fukushima

摘要

It's easy to forget, but one of the most important parts of a nuclear power plant is the simplest one: H_2O. The thermal energy created by a nuclear reaction generates steam, which drives electric turbines, and the excess heat is then dissipated in pools of water. When something goes wrong at a nuclear plant, water is usually involved. So it is with the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northern Japan. Nearly 2 1/2 years after Fukushima suffered a meltdown in the wake of a massive tsunami, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) is struggling to contain new leaks of highly radioactive water flowing from the plant. Some 430,000 tons of radioactive water is stored in nearby tanks, and each day an additional 400 tons is added to the total as groundwater flows past the damaged reactors.