Massachusetts rainwater tested, Japan workers discover more bad news on eve of candlelight vigils
Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island. The Associated Press just reported that people have begun gathering near the plant where the partial core meltdown took place in 1979.
Yesterday, Massachusetts added its name to the list of U.S. states with water that has tested positive for trace amounts of radiation. While the Huffington Post reported that the level of radiation discovered in the Massachusetts’ rainwater samples presents no immediate health threat, the future reach and impact of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant seems less predictable in light of a discovery today.
According to the East Asian and Pacific branch of Voice of America, workers at the Japanese Fukushima plant identified, “highly radioactive water in a tunnel outside the complex buildings.” Furthermore, they report:
For several days, Tokyo Electric Power has known a pool of water inside a turbine building adjoining reactor-2 is highly radioactive. The water is 100,000 times more toxic than water typically found in a reactor core.
Tonight, Greenpeace is organizing candlelight vigils around the world. Dionna Humphrey from GreenPeace USA explains,
These vigils are simply a time for people to come together, show their support for Japan and imagine a future free of nuclear disasters.
Below is the latest film footage taken of the Fukushima plant from a helicopter.