Skip to main content

Solution to combat particle dispersal to be tested at Japan plant

By the CNN Wire Staff
Click to play
Contamination risks in Japan
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The solution to be sprayed includes a synthetic resin
  • The resin will envelop nuclear particles, company says
  • Spraying will start Thursday if radiation levels are safe for workers
RELATED TOPICS

Tokyo (CNN) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. will begin spraying a liquid aimed at preventing the dispersal and scattering of nuclear particles in and around the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the company said Wednesday.

The spraying, on a trial basis, will begin Thursday and is dependent on acceptable radiation levels for workers, Tokyo Electric said in a statement. The liquid is said to be able to stick to nuclear particles when it dries -- and will also stick to other particles, such as dust.

One of the liquid's main components is a water-soluble synthetic resin called Kuricoat C-720G, which will be mixed with water before spraying. The resin, which envelops nuclear particles, is also used in glue, the company said. It is manufactured by a Japanese company.

The solution will be put into a water truck and will be sprayed on the grounds of the plant, as well as on the sea-facing and mountain-facing sides of reactors Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the sea-facing sides of reactors Nos. 5 and 6, the company said. It will also be sprayed around the common spent fuel pool.

Officials want to spray 60,000 liters (15, 850 gallons) over three weeks, Tokyo Electric said. Of that, 9,000 liters will be Kuricoat C-720G. If the spraying is successful, it will continue as long as necessary, according to the company.

The company gave no details on how the matter would be collected and disposed of after spraying.

Part of complete coverage on
Wedding bells toll post-quake
One effect of Japan's deadly quake has been to remind many of the importance of family and to drive them to the altar.
Toyota makes drastic production cuts
Toyota has announced drastic production cuts due to difficulty in supplying parts following the earthquake in Japan.
Chernobyl's 25-year shadow
There's an eerie stillness about the desolate buildings and empty streets of Pripyat.
Inside evacuation 'ghost town'
A photographer documents the ghost town left behind by the nuclear crisis in Japan. What he found was a "time stop."
One month since the quake
Somber ceremonies mark one month since the earthquake and tsunami killed as many as 25,000 people.
First moments of a tsunami
Witnesses capture the very first moments of the devastating tsunami that struck Japan in March.
The 'nuclear renaissance' that wasn't
A month after a devastating earthquake sent a wall of water across the Japanese landscape, the global terrain of the atomic power industry has been forever altered.
Drone peers into damaged reactors
Engineers use a flying drone to peer into the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
 
Quick Job Search