Japan Will Release Nuclear Water From Fukushima Leak Into Sea In Next Few Months

[RAMROD 85,163]

The controversial release of more than a million tonnes of water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will begin in the northern spring or summer, Japan’s government has said – a move that has sparked anger among local fishing communities and countries in the region.

The decision comes more than two years after the government approved the release of the water, which will be treated to remove most radioactive materials but will still contain tritium, a naturally occurring radioactive form of hydrogen that is technically difficult to separate from water.

Japanese officials insist the “treated” water will not pose a threat to human health or the marine environment, but the plans face opposition from fishermen who say it risks destroying their livelihoods, almost 12 years after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along Japan’s north-east coast.

The wastewater in Fukushima is being stored in more than 1,000 tanks that officials say need to be removed so the plant can be decommissioned – a process expected to take 30 to 40 years.

Japan’s foreign ministry said in July that regulators had deemed it safe to release the water, which will be gradually discharged into the Pacific ocean via a tunnel after being treated and diluted.

The plan’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), has said its water treatment technology – known as Alps – can remove all radioactive materials from water except tritium, which it says is harmless in small amounts.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also pointed out that nuclear plants around the world use a similar process to dispose of wastewater containing low-level concentrations of tritium and other radionuclides.

South Korea and China have voiced concern about the discharge, while the Pacific Islands Forum said recently it had “grave concerns” about the proposed release.

Writing in the Guardian, the forum’s secretary general, Henry Puna, said Japan “should hold off on any such release until we are certain about the implications of this proposal on the environment and on human health, especially recognising that the majority of our Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and that the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living”.

The South Korean government, which has yet to lift its ban on Fukushima seafood, has said that releasing the water would pose a “grave threat” to marine life. Fishing unions in the area oppose the release, warning it would cause alarm among consumers and derail more than a decade of efforts to reassure the public that Fukushima seafood is safe to eat.

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/13/fukushima-water-to-be-released-into-ocean-in-next-few-months-says-japan
 

Edited January 25 by RAMROD

[LG2008 2,089]

How can they approve something like that? 

[Chromatography 8,415]

i can’t believe the atrocities we’ve committed against this earth. 

[TheSine 1,092]

I don't see how they think this is a good idea. Radiation and nuclear energy are not advised to be consumed.

[RAMROD 85,163]

We need USA & European countries pressuring them not to do this tbh

[doraemon 416]

Is there a better way? I know burning it is bad idea either...

[Mr Mendes 2,902]

I'm not saying this is good in any way, but I am saying that you would never go into the ocean again if you knew how much radioactive material is already in it. 

Remember, they did atomic bomb testing in the Pacific for almost two decades. 

[Meta Mart 341]

I don't approve. I don't see why taking this "step" is necessary motion rather than more diligent preservative actions.

[Red 81,982]

I wonder what is the alternative

[gypsy Hero 1,611]

I love how people always are acting like they know the science behind these things and come up with great alternatives like „jUsT DoNt dO iT“… like gurl, trust the process. The event that led to this decision was bad for the planet period, but somehow they have to deal with it. If that’s what is necessary now, then so it shall be. I bet a couple smart people know what they are doing boo. 

[Monstermilo 1,318]

5 hours ago, Chromatography said:

i can’t believe the atrocities we’ve committed against this earth. 

humans deserve to be wiped out by global warming tbh

 

[Ziggy 8,959]

6 hours ago, TheSine said:

I don't see how they think this is a good idea. Radiation and nuclear energy are not advised to be consumed.

I doubt they do think it’s that but they want it “dealt with” so it is irrelevant to them whether or not it’s good or bad

[Ziggy 8,959]

2 hours ago, gypsy Hero said:

I love how people always are acting like they know the science behind these things and come up with great alternatives like „jUsT DoNt dO iT“… like gurl, trust the process. The event that led to this decision was bad for the planet period, but somehow they have to deal with it. If that’s what is necessary now, then so it shall be. I bet a couple smart people know what they are doing boo. 

And are the people who also know this work and oppose it stupid? Lmao

its awfully convenient that despite the concerns of basically every other country regionally, even China who is known for terrible environmental protections, the experts here determined that the solution that’s most convenient for japan is the safe and best option.

This is passing the buck of responsibility to other, smaller nations to deal with the problem that is Japan’s responsibility