Japan plant sees biggest radiation spike

Seawater outside the crippled nuclear power plant in north-eastern Japan was found to contain 3,335 times the usual amount of radioactive iodine – the highest rate yet and a sign that more contaminated water was making its way into the ocean, officials said today.

The amount of iodine-131 found offshore 300 yards south of the coastal Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant did not pose an immediate threat to human health, but was a “concern”, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. He said there was no fishing in the area.