Fukushima Radiation Rises to 57 Millisieverts/ Hr

Kyodo reports today that radiation at Fukushima reactors No. 1 and 3 has risen to 57 millisieverts/ hr.  This level will restrict shift lengths for workers at Fukushima, even with the Japanese government's increased allowable radiation levels.  Workers at the Chernobyl disaster worked in 40 second shifts, and we all know how well even that ended up working out for them.  At this point, we are wondering if TEPCO will even be able to stop/slow the INCREASE in radiation, much less stop the leak.

TOKYO, April 18, Kyodo:

The radiation level inside the Nos. 1 and 3 reactor buildings at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was up to about 57 millisieverts per hour as of Sunday, the government's nuclear safety agency said Monday, acknowledging that it is a level that puts time constraints on any restoration work that must be done there.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency also said that it has found the No. 4 reactor building flooded with water 5 meters high, besides some 60,000 tons of contaminated water already found to be filling up the Nos. 1 to 3 reactor turbine buildings and nearby areas.
Many of the pools of water containing radioactive substances are believed to be a side effect of an emergency measure of pouring massive amounts of water into the reactors and their spent nuclear fuel pools from outside to keep them cool, given that they have lost their key cooling functions following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.