Japanese Minister: Fukushima Radiation Won’t Delay Plant Shutdown

While record radiation has recently been detected at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, Goshi Hosono, the Japanese Minister in charge of the disaster has announced that plans to contain the radiation and shut down the plan will move forward.

Tepco, the company in charge of the plant reported on Monday that radiation was detected at 10 sieverts per hour, the maximum reading on the Geiger counter and the highest level recorded to date at the plant.

According to the SFGate:

A single dose of 10 sieverts would kill a person “within a few weeks,” according to the website of the World Nuclear Association.

High radiation has previously impeded attempts to replace cooling systems to bring three melted reactors and four damaged spent fuel ponds under control because of danger to workers. The latest readings were taken at the base of the ventilation stack for reactors No. 1 and No. 2, which are away from the site’s main working areas, Tepco said.

Plant officials say the radiation is likely coming from materials that flowered through to the stack during their failed attempts to release pressure from containment vessels.

Work is able to continue only because the company does not need to send workers into the area where the highest levels of radiation have been detected.

More than 2,700 workers remain working at the plant as of Tuesday.