Evacuees hang out by a kerosene stove at an evacuation center in Fukushima, northeastern Japan on Tuesday, March 29. (AP Photo)
TOKYO, March 29 (Reuters): Plutonium found in soil at the Fukushima nuclear complex heightened alarm on Tuesday over Japan's battle to contain the world's worst atomic crisis in 25 years, as pressure mounted on the prime minister to widen an evacuation zone around the plant.
Some opposition lawmakers blasted Naoto Kan in parliament for his handling of the disaster and for not widening the exclusion zone. Kan said he was seeking advice on such a step, which would force 130,000 people to move in addition to 70,000 already displaced.
The drama at the six-reactor facility has compounded Japan's agony after an earthquake and tsunami on March 11 left more than 28,000 people dead or missing in the devastated northeast.
In a gesture of support, France said it had sent two nuclear experts to Japan to help contain the accident and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will visit on Thursday for a meeting with Kan.
France is the world's most nuclear-dependent country, producing 75 percent of its power needs from 58 nuclear reactors, and selling state-owned Areva's reactors around the world. Sarkozy will be the first foreign leader to visit since the earthquake.
In the latest blow to hopes authorities were gradually getting the plant under control, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said plutonium was found at low-risk levels in soil samples at the facility.
A by-product of atomic reactions and also used in nuclear bombs, plutonium is highly carcinogenic and one of the most dangerous substances on the planet, experts say.
They believe some of the plutonium may have come from spent fuel rods at Fukushima or damage to reactor No. 3, the only one to use plutonium in its fuel mix.
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said while the plutonium levels were not harmful to human health, the discovery could mean the reactor's containment mechanism had been breached.
Some opposition lawmakers blasted Naoto Kan in parliament for his handling of the disaster and for not widening the exclusion zone. Kan said he was seeking advice on such a step, which would force 130,000 people to move in addition to 70,000 already displaced.
The drama at the six-reactor facility has compounded Japan's agony after an earthquake and tsunami on March 11 left more than 28,000 people dead or missing in the devastated northeast.
In a gesture of support, France said it had sent two nuclear experts to Japan to help contain the accident and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will visit on Thursday for a meeting with Kan.
France is the world's most nuclear-dependent country, producing 75 percent of its power needs from 58 nuclear reactors, and selling state-owned Areva's reactors around the world. Sarkozy will be the first foreign leader to visit since the earthquake.
In the latest blow to hopes authorities were gradually getting the plant under control, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said plutonium was found at low-risk levels in soil samples at the facility.
A by-product of atomic reactions and also used in nuclear bombs, plutonium is highly carcinogenic and one of the most dangerous substances on the planet, experts say.
They believe some of the plutonium may have come from spent fuel rods at Fukushima or damage to reactor No. 3, the only one to use plutonium in its fuel mix.
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said while the plutonium levels were not harmful to human health, the discovery could mean the reactor's containment mechanism had been breached.
Radioactive iodine traces found in Seoul: Report
SEOUL, March 29 (AFP): Traces of radioactive iodine have been detected in Seoul following the nuclear crisis in Japan, a report said on Tuesday, though the level is not said to be harmful. The state-run Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) said it had found traces of radioactive iodine-131 in Seoul after analysing samples taken from the air in 12 places around South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported. KINS said the amount of iodine was so small that there was no immediate risk to public health or the environment.
Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was badly damaged by an earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on March 11 and radioactive material has leaked into the atmosphere. Seawater near the plant has been found to contain radioactive iodine more than 1,850 times the legal limit, although it is not clear how the contamination spread to the Pacific Ocean. The 9.0-magnitude quake and devastating tsunami that followed have left more than 28,000 people dead or missing.
SEOUL, March 29 (AFP): Traces of radioactive iodine have been detected in Seoul following the nuclear crisis in Japan, a report said on Tuesday, though the level is not said to be harmful. The state-run Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) said it had found traces of radioactive iodine-131 in Seoul after analysing samples taken from the air in 12 places around South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported. KINS said the amount of iodine was so small that there was no immediate risk to public health or the environment.
Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was badly damaged by an earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on March 11 and radioactive material has leaked into the atmosphere. Seawater near the plant has been found to contain radioactive iodine more than 1,850 times the legal limit, although it is not clear how the contamination spread to the Pacific Ocean. The 9.0-magnitude quake and devastating tsunami that followed have left more than 28,000 people dead or missing.
