Radiation leak at nuke plant reduced

Workers try to stop the spread of radiation at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: The most recent attempt brings a decrease in leaking radioactive waterNEW: More than 5,700 tons of less radioactive water are purposefully released so farRadiation levels drop sharply offshore, but are many times the legal limitWater in a pit that's leaking into the sea had radiation 7.5 million times above the norm Tokyo (CNN) -- An attempt to plug a leak of highly radioactive water from a Japanese nuclear reactor has shown a "significant difference," despite the material not setting as hoped, officials said late Tuesday.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, said the injection of a silica-based polymer dubbed "liquid glass" had reduced the amount of highly radioactive water that was leaking into the ocean.

The utility's assessment comes after the country's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said that the substance had not hardened as expected. The material had been pumped from below into the leaking shaft at the plant's No. 2 reactor.

Though water continued to pour into the ocean, photographs released by TEPCO showed a thinner, less powerful stream. The company says it has no estimate of the rate of the leak, however, so the amount of reduction was unclear.

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