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Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant: Robot Records Dangerous Radiation Levels

The operator of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan has given up trying to recover a robotic probe. It was collecting radiation levels and investigating the spread of debris left over from the tsunami we talked about earlier. Radiation is a type of energy that is very powerful. It can be beneficial, as when it's used as a cancer treatment - but it can also be dangerous.

Over the weekend, a robot was sent into one of the reactors, or structures at the chemical plant that suffered a meltdown after the 2011 disaster.

A newly released report and footage from the robot shows a fallen object had blocked its path and left it stranded. It managed to collect data on radiation levels in 14 of the 18 targeted locations.

Four years after the devastating nuclear crisis, the radiation levels inside the three damaged reactors are still extremely high and remain unsafe for people to enter.


Encyclopedia: Science Online, Radiation and Health Effects