Beijing: To check pollution from the Japanese Fukushima nuclear plant accident in the Yellow Sea, Chinese scientists are using a ship-borne device which provides immediate analysis of radioactive material in water.
Previously, Chinese scientists faced the time-consuming task of transferring water into containers and bringing it to labs to check the concentration of cesium, a radionuclide. Cesium has a very low absorption rate into water, so large quantities of water must be analysed.
The team with the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) that developed the device installed it on a police patrol ship for a 10-day voyage to the Yellow Sea area earlier this month. It took just one person to run the tests, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.
The development team's Shi Hongqi explained that the device can filter seven liters of water per minute. It analysed 22 samples of 800 litres in the Yellow Sea, finding no signs of dangerous radioactivity.
No specific data from the tests was disclosed, but Shi said the statistics will be included in annual SOA monitoring reports at the end of the year. The SOA now plans to install more of these monitoring devices on police patrol ships, to check waters potentially affected by Fukushima as well as elsewhere.
