I'm very worried by the reports of levels 1000x normal in the sea off japan, and 80x for cesium 1437, with a 30 year half life, carcinogenic and accumulates in the food chain. That is the Pacific Ocean where our seafood comes from, after all.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...27/3174814.htm
The thorium piece is extremely interesting - if Australia wants to pursue nuclear power why not this type of reactor?
And I suspect the pumps were damaged in the initial tsunami impact and/or when the power died and/or by later explosions.
And this from
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/27_11.html
"Higher level of iodine 131 detected in seawater
The Japanese government says radioactive iodine in excess of 1,850 times regulated standards was found in seawater collected near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Saturday.
On Friday, iodine 131 at a then-record 1,250 times regulated standards was detected in seawater collected in the same place 330 meters south of a plant water outlet.
The nuclear safety agency says there is no immediate threat to people within the 20-kilometer evacuation zone from the nuclear power plant.
The agency adds that seawater is dispersed by ocean currents and the contamination level will decline."