Japan made a statement about the radioactive waste water released into the sea in Fukushima

The radioactive waste water accumulated in the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which was damaged after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, started to be discharged into the Pacific Ocean. This situation has worried some countries and environmentalists because radioactive water has the potential to affect not only the coasts of Japan, but all the oceans. However, a statement was made about the water released from the authorities and it was emphasized that there was no cause for concern.

No need to worry

Tests conducted in seawater near Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant did not detect any radioactivity, days after authorities began dumping treated water used to cool damaged reactors into the sea, in a statement released by Japan’s Ministry of Environment.

The start of Japan’s discharge of water from the wrecked Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean last week has sparked protests in Japan and neighboring countries, especially China, which has banned the import of aquatic products from Japan. But Japan and scientific organizations say the water is safe after it has been filtered to remove most radioactive elements except tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.

Because tritium is difficult to separate from water, Fukushima water is diluted until tritium levels drop below legal limits before being released into the ocean. The ministry’s tests on samples taken from 11 locations near the power plant showed tritium concentrations below the limit. The ministry added that this “will not have a negative impact on human health and the environment.”

Japan’s fisheries agency said tests on fish near the power plant showed no abnormalities, while the country announced that it will publish test results every week for at least the next three months. In addition, last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded in its report that Japan met safety standards.

Pollution well below the limit

In the tests carried out, 7 to 8 bequerel tritium per liter was detected in the samples taken from the vicinity of the power plant. This is well below the 10,000 bekerel limit set by the World Health Organization for drinking water.

However, not all wastewater from the Fukushima plant will be discharged at once. The facility already has around 1.3 million tons of contaminated water, enough to fill 500 Olympic swimming pools. It will take about 17 days to release the first 7,800 cubic meters of water, equivalent to three Olympic pools. It is estimated that it will take about 30 years for the full release.