International Update Volume 43, Issue 11
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<p>Tokyo Electric Power, the utility that operates the Fukushima nuclear plant, rushed to build new tanks for radioactive water storage after finding contamination that may have leaked from one of its pits. The underground tanks store radioactive water used in the plant's cooling system, and if the leak is confirmed, it will be the third one discovered since April 6. "<span>There are a lot of makeshift fixes. They are walking a tightrope from one jerry-rigged fix to another," said one worker.

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<p>Soil samples show remnants of heavy metals and banned pesticides, according to an official, revealing the extent of China's pollution. In addition to traces of the 666 pesticide banned in the 1980s, the soil showed remains of industrial air pollution as well as toxic metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium dating as far back as 100 years. <span>Zhuang Guotai, head of the ecological department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, tied the heavy pollution to an agricultural boom that has seen grain production double while the workforce shrank.

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<p>Environment Canada's top official told the main Canadian oil and gas lobby group that the government needed more information about unidentified fluids involved in the hydraulic fracturing process. Paul Boothe, the former deputy minister, wrote that a voluntary industry disclosure program was a positive step toward improving environmental performance, but he also suggested that it was not enough to satisfy the environment department.

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