Radioactive materials released from the crippled No. 1, 2 and 3 reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant are roughly one 10 millionth of contamination spewed at the beginning of the accident in March, based on readings taken in the past two weeks, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday.
Tepco estimated the amount from July 26 to Aug. 12, saying the maximum reading logged was 200 million becquerels per hour. Based on this data, the radiation level around the plant is estimated at a maximum 0.4 millisievert per year, compared with the annual legal limit of 1 millisievert.
The estimated amount released March 15 was 2 quadrillion becquerels per hour, meaning the amount has decreased to one 10 millionth of that level.