Controversy Surrounds Japan’s Plan to Release Treated Radioactive Water from Fukushima Plant

The Japanese authorities’ plan to drain more than a million tons of treated radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has sparked much controversy and discontent with some neighboring countries, due to fears that this process, which will extend for about 3 decades, will affect the environment.

The Japanese government approved the plan two years ago as “necessary” to dismantle the plant, which is run by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

The plan has also drawn criticism from local fishing groups, who fear damage to their reputations and the livelihoods of their members.

“I have asked TEPCO to prepare quickly to drain the water according to the plan approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, and I expect the discharge to begin on August 24, if weather conditions are favorable,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday morning.

Is it safe to release water from the Fukushima nuclear plant?

Kishida pledged that the process of discharging the radioactive water would “be done safely with its impact closely monitored”.

The Japanese authorities described that measure as a “necessary step to stop the operation of the Fukushima Daiichi plant”, nearly 12 years after a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami led to the collapse of 3 nuclear reactors.

After a two-year review, the International Atomic Energy Agency declared in July that the approach adopted by Japan was “compliant with relevant international safety standards.”

On Tuesday, the agency, which opened an office at the plant, said it would remain at the site “to assess the safety of the radioactive water discharges over time”.

Scientists who support the IAEA’s green light point out that facilities around the world have carried out such operations, which fall within regulatory standards, according to the newspaper.Washington PostAmerican.

“At any other nuclear site in the world, this would be considered a routine release of treated wastewater with very low levels of radioactivity,” said Jim Smith, Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Other scientists, including a panel consulted with 18 Pacific Island nations, cautioned that they “did not see enough information to support the integrity of the discharge,” noting that the potential impacts on the Pacific Ocean “have not been adequately studied.”

Jacques Lechard, former vice-president of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, an independent advisory body, described Japan’s water drainage system as “extremely effective”, but added: “There has been no real consultation with the local population… This is a dilemma it is not too late.” to treat it.”

What effect can water have on marine life?

The International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that the plan for “gradual and controlled discharge of treated water to the sea” would have a “negligible radioactive impact” on people and the environment.

“Contamination from radionuclides in contaminated waters can move from the bottom of the food web through small organisms, such as phytoplankton, to larger ones, such as tuna,” explained research professor at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory, Bob Richmond.

And radionuclides, according to Atomic Energy Agency website, are radioactive isotopes, and these isotopes have an excess of energy that they release in the form of radiation. Isotopes can occur naturally or be produced synthetically.

“Radionuclides accumulate over time, and eventually reach levels high enough to destroy DNA and RNA cells if they are ingested through seafood, such as oysters and lobsters,” Richmond said, explaining that this may raise the risk of cancer. Long-term concerns about developing cancer.

“We cannot continue to use the ocean as a dumping ground for everything we don’t want on Earth, without catastrophic consequences,” he added.

Richmond warned that the effects of Japan’s decision would be “felt first throughout Japan’s coastal communities, and then to the rest of the globe by ocean currents.”

He continued, “The radionuclides will not remain within the borders of Japan … because they will spread across the Pacific Ocean, and eventually throughout the world, and the consequences will appear with the passage of time, not immediately.”

Who opposes the plan?

Despite assurances from both the Japanese government and the International Atomic Energy Agency, fishing and environmental groups have urged Tokyo to abandon the plan, raising questions about its consequences.

Greenpeace East Asia criticized the drain plan, saying it “ignores scientific evidence and the concerns of fishermen”.

Ahead of the Fukushima fishing season in September, fishing industry groups fear possible reputational damage to their goods, which still bear the stigma of radiation exposure.

In this regard, the Japanese government said that it would “monitor the water quality after its release,” and promised to provide financial compensation to the fishermen.

The drainage plan has faced objections from South Korean officials and protesters, although the Seoul government has asserted that the plan “meets international standards if the water is handled as planned.”

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said in an online statement Tuesday that he opposes the decision, vowing to “immediately activate import control measures” against Japanese food.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called the decision “selfish and irresponsible,” adding at a press conference on Tuesday: “The ocean belongs to mankind, not a dumping ground for nuclear-contaminated water in Japan.”

How is radioactive water treated and what is tritium?

Contaminated water passes through a filtration system that aims to remove radioactive elements, in order to reduce the concentrations of tritium, a radioactive substance that is difficult to separate from water.

Japanese authorities say the tritium concentration will drop to very low levels.

The plan, due to begin Thursday, includes draining the treated water at a maximum rate of 132,000 gallons per day through an underwater tunnel off the coast of Japan, where the releases will be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The amount of tritium in wastewater is expected to be “about 7 times less than the WHO drinking water limit,” Smith said.

Here it should be noted that people are exposed to tritium in small amounts, by drinking tap water or rainwater.

Smith added, “There will be small amounts of other radioactivity in the launch because the treatment is not 100 percent perfect, as is the case in other nuclear sites around the world,” adding that this process “will be at negligible levels.”

#Japans #controversy.. #radioactive #water #safe #release #oceans #seas
2023-08-23 05:50:01