The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says it has detected record levels of radiation at the Japanese Fukushima nuclear power plant’s Reactor 2.
More: TEPCO detects record radiation at Fukushima’s reactor 2, new leak suspected
TEPCO, the operator of crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, said on Saturday that it found a record 1.9 million becquerels per liter of radioactive substances at the damaged reactor.
The company added that the latest examination of groundwater around Reactor 4 has raised concerns about another leak at the site.
The analysis of water samples taken from 25 meters beneath Reactor 4’s well has shown that there is radioactivity in the groundwater.
Nuclear radiation exposure can cause serious health problems. The first signs of nuclear radiation exposure are nausea and vomiting.
It can increase the probability of developing some other diseases, mainly cancer, tumors, and genetic disorders.
TEPCO has struggled to control the leaks at the Fukushima nuclear power plant since March 2011, but a massive amount of contaminated water has still leaked into the Pacific Ocean.
The Fukushima plant has leaked radiation into air, soil and the Pacific Ocean ever since it was hit by a nine-magnitude earthquake and a devastating tsunami on March 11, 2011.
The tremor triggered a nuclear crisis by knocking out power to cooling systems and the reactor meltdowns at the nuclear power plant on Japan’s northeast coast.
More than 18,000 people were left dead or missing in the disaster.