Can an ice wall contain Fukushima's radiation?
It's been over two years since one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast, spawning a ferocious tsunami and seriously damaging the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant. There are growing concerns about radioactive water from the plant seeping into the soil, groundwater and ultimately flowing out into the North Pacific. This week, the Japanese government announced that it will spend...
It's been over two years since one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast, spawning a ferocious tsunami and seriously damaging the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant. There are growing concerns about radioactive water from the plant seeping into the soil, groundwater and ultimately flowing out into the North Pacific. This week, the Japanese government announced that it will spend $470 million on a subterranean ice wall to stop the radioactive leaks. Ice walls have been used in mining and construction for over a century. Day 6 talks to Joe Sopko, who has been building ice walls in Canada and the US for over 25 years, and to Arjun Makhijani, an engineer who specializes in nuclear fusion and has reservations about the proposed plan.