Levels of radioactive cesium-134 in a well at Fukushima nuclear power plant are up to 90 times higher than just three days ago, and may spread into the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, 10 applications to restart reactors under stricter rules have been received.

TEPCO, the company that operated the plant and is now in charge of the cleanup and decommissioning, said that cesium-134 levels in the well water were at 9,000 becquerels per liter, 150 times the legal level. While cesium-137 measured 18,000 becquerels, 200 times the permitted level.

Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years and the readings were some 85 times higher than they had been three days earlier.

These are the highest cesium levels found since the March 2011 disaster.

“It is unclear whether the radioactive water is leaking into the sea. After gathering needed data, we will conduct analyses,” a TEPCO official told the Japanese media.

Although the total levels of cesium collected on July 8 were far higher than those collected just three days earlier on July 5, levels of other radioactive materials, such as strontium, remained the same as three days ago.

“We do not know why only cesium levels have risen,” a TEPCO spokesman said.

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