Why Japan is releasing radioactive wastewater into Pacific Ocean
What's the story
Japan has started the process of releasing over one million tonnes of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean.
However, the release has raised some major concerns among environmentalists, with groups in China and South Korea flagging the potential long-term implications of it on the environment, food safety, and public health.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant was destroyed in March 2011 after a devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that resulted in the meltdown of three of its reactors.
This contaminated water release, which is estimated to take 30 to 40 years, is seen as a key step in the dauntingly difficult and lengthy process of decommissioning the tsunami-hit nuclear power plant and removing molten fuel.
What Next?
Greenpeace, scientists list key concerns
As per the environmentalist group Greenpeace, the radiological risks haven't been assessed thoroughly, and the biological impacts of tritium, which would get released as part of the discharge, "have been ignored."
Meanwhile, the Associated Press (AP) reported that several scientists have called for more attention to dozens of low-dose radionuclides that remain in the water.
They claimed that data on their long-term effects on the environment and marine life are insufficient.
More details
Fishing communities raise concern
Fisheries groups have also raised concerns about further damage to the reputation of their seafood as the release of radioactive wastewater comes at a time when the fisheries and tourism industries are still recovering from the 2011 disaster.
It is worth noting that the current catch rate in Fukushima is only roughly one-fifth of its pre-disaster level amid the decline in the fishing population in the area and also due to the smaller catch sizes.
Further details
China's response to radioactive wastewater release
In light of this development, Chinese customs authorities have decided to ban seafood from Japan.
To note, South Korea and China had already banned seafood imports from specific parts of Japan after the nuclear plant suffered a triple meltdown in the March 2011 disaster.
According to the news outlet The Guardian, Beijing has also decided to ramp up its radiation testing of agricultural and fishery products coming from Fukushima and nine other prefectures.
Know more
Japan and IAEA claim discharge is safe
However, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the plant's operator, insist that the water is safe, stating that the first batch of discharged water will contain only about 190 becquerels of tritium per liter.
This is significantly below the World Health Organization (WHO)'s drinking water limit of 10,000 becquerels per liter.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also endorsed Japan's approach, stating that the release would have a "negligible" radiological effect on people and the environment.
Insights
Technique used to release radioactive wastewater
The water is being treated by an Advanced Liquid Processing System, which can reduce the amounts of over 60 selected radionuclides, excluding tritium, to government-set releasable levels.
Tritium, according to government officials, is harmless for humans if consumed in small amounts.
Whereas the IAEA determined that the plan would have negligible effects on the environment and human health if implemented as designed.