published on August 12, 2024 in Celeb Gist

Why Japan Is Releasing Fukushima Water Into the Sea

Japanese utility Tepco has started to release about 1.3 million cubic meters (343 million gallons) of treated radioactive water — enough to fill about 500 Olympic-size swimming pools — from the wrecked Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, part of its nearly $150 billion effort to clean up the worst atomic accident since Chernobyl. The decision was made because storage tanks at the site were forecast to be full as early as 2024, and space for building more is scarce. Scary as it sounds, discharges are common practice in the industry, and the plan has been ruled to be in line with global guidelines. That hasn’t assuaged angry locals or neighboring China and South Korea.

1. Where does the water come from?

A 2011 earthquake, the strongest ever recorded in Japan, and ensuing tsunami caused structural damage to Fukushima’s reactor buildings, about 220 kilometers (137 miles) north of Tokyo. While Tepco cycles in water to keep fuel and debris cool, roughly 130 cubic meters of water becomes contaminated daily, including groundwater and rain. The tainted water is pumped out and run through something called the Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS, then stored in one of roughly 1,000 tanks at the site. The processing removes most of the radioactive elements except for tritium.

2. What is tritium?

A form of hydrogen that has two extra neutrons, making it weakly radioactive. It is naturally produced in the upper atmosphere and also is a common byproduct of nuclear power generation. It has various applications including in making nuclear weapons, in medicine as a biological tracer, and in producing such glow-in-the-dark items as exit signs and watch dials.

3. Is it dangerous?

It can be carcinogenic at high levels. While tritium’s beta particles (those emitted during radioactive decay) are too low-energy to penetrate the skin, they can build up in the body if inhaled or consumed (usually via tainted water). Yet according to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, a human would need to ingest billions of units of becquerels (a measure for radioactivity) before seeing any health effects. Tepco plans to release water with a concentration of less than 1,500 becquerels per liter. For comparison, a banana has 15 becquerels and 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of uranium has 25 million.

4. How is it handled?

Most nuclear power plants discharge small amounts of tritium and other radioactive material into rivers and oceans, according to David Hess, a policy analyst at the World Nuclear Association, an industry group. In the US, such “authorized releases” of so-called tritiated water are done “routinely and safely” and are fully disclosed, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Tepco aims to release at most 22 trillion becquerels of tritium into the ocean a year, below similar releases in France, South Korea and China, according to the Japanese government.

5. Why not build more tanks?

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Tepco, or Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., is essentially out of room on the facility grounds. It has already felled 500 square meters (5,400 square feet) of trees next to a bird sanctuary to make room for about 1,000 tanks. Japan could move toward more long-term storage on nearby land by investing in petroleum reserve tanks, the biggest of which can hold some 2.4 billion liters (20 million barrels) of liquid. It’s unlikely anyone will want to live in areas around the plant for a long time. But it would also require a political decision.

6. When did the release start, and how?

After years of debate and preparation, Tepco began releasing the water on Aug. 24. Before it goes through the one-kilometer subsea tunnel, the treated fluid is mixed with seawater to dilute the concentration of tritium to “well below” both Japanese government and World Health Organization guidelines. The discharge could run about 30 years, and the government plans to monitor radioactivity in the area during the process.

Read More: How Japan Will Release Its Nuclear Wastewater Into the Pacific

7. Who’s against a release? For it?

Fishing groups in Fukushima prefecture have been strongly opposed, fearing it could further taint the reputation of their catch and affect their livelihoods. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged new funds to help alleviate any such reputational damage. After the first discharge, China — the top buyer of Japan’s seafood — said it would suspend imports of all aquatic products from Japan to protect food safety. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin had earlier criticized the plan, saying the ocean is “not Japan’s private sewer.” Japanese cosmetics brands have been targeted by a viral campaign tied to the issue that spread unproven safety allegations on Chinese social media platforms. While South Korea’s government hasn’t pushed back against Japan’s plans publicly, a survey conducted in May found 84% of respondents opposed the discharge. Worries there over health hazards sent the price of sea salt, a key ingredient in kimchi, soaring as consumers hoarded it. The US has said the planned release was in line with global standards.

8. How’s the cleanup going otherwise?

The March 11, 2011, quake off Japan’s northeast coast and ensuing tsunami caused about 16,000 confirmed deaths and extensive damage, including the meltdowns at Fukushima. Since then, there’s been steady progress in the cleanup at the plant, which Tepco estimates will take 30 to 40 years more. An underground ice wall and drainage system was installed to reduce the amount of groundwater flowing into the wrecked reactors by more than half. The life of cleanup workers has improved as well. A thin surgical-style mask is all that’s needed to walk around most of the grounds, as opposed to a full body suit with a hard plastic mask covering the entire face. Radiation levels on the grounds have dropped, allowing for more work around the plant.

--With assistance from Shoko Oda, Aaron Clark and Masumi Suga.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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