A Japanese state-run nuclear fuel laboratory near Tokyo said Wednesday it detected a radiation leak in its plutonium handling facility, but no workers were exposed. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency said a radiation alarm went off after nine workers changed plastic covers on two canisters containing MOX, a mixture of plutonium and uranium, and removed them from a sealed compartment. JAEA said the workers, each wearing a mask, escaped radiation exposure after running into another room. No leak was detected outside the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories in Tokai village, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. The facility ended nuclear fuel production in 2001 and is being decommissioned. The cause of the leak is under investigation. The agency suggested possible damage to the plastic covers during the routine change.
Asahi 31st Jan 2019 read more »