Japan To Release Nuclear Wastewater Into Ocean – Gets Approval from IAEA

Zaheer Hussain
July 6, 2023
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Following approval from the United Nations’ Nuclear Watchdog for a controversial plan that comes 12 years after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, Japan will soon begin releasing treated radioactive water into the ocean. The plan to release treated wastewater has been in the works for years, with the Environment Minister declaring in 2019 that there were “no other options” because space to contain the contaminated material was running out.

Why In The News?

Japan Will Soon Begin Releasing Treated Radioactive Water Into The Ocean Following Approval From The United Nations’ Nuclear Watchdog For A Controversial Plan That Comes 12 Years After The Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown.
The Plan To Release Treated Wastewater Has Been In The Works For Years, With The Environment Minister Declaring In 2019 There Were “No Other Options” As Space Runs Out To Contain The Contaminated Material.

Why Are They Doing This?

The Devastating 2011 Earthquake And Tsunami Damaged The Fukushima Nuclear Plant’s Power Supply And Cooling Systems – Causing The Reactor Cores To Overheat And Contaminate Water Within The Plant With Highly Radioactive Material.
Since then, New Water Has Been Pumped Into Cool Fuel Debris In The Reactors. At The Same Time, Ground And Rainwater Have Leaked In, Creating More Radioactive Wastewater That Now Needs To Be Stored And Treated.
The State-Owned Electricity Firm Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Has Built Over 1,000 Massive Tanks To Contain What Is Now 1.32 Million Metric Tons Of Wastewater – Enough To Fill More Than 500 Olympic Pools.
But Space Is Quickly Dwindling. The Company Says Building More Tanks Isn’t An Option, And It Needs To Free Up Space In Order To Safely Decommission The Plant – A Process That Involves Decontaminating Facilities, Dismantling Structures And Fully Shutting Things Down.

What Are The Risks?

Radioactive Wastewater Contains Some Dangerous Elements, But The Majority Of These Can Be Removed From The Water, Said TEPCO. The Real Issue Is A Hydrogen Isotope Called Radioactive Tritium, Which Cannot Be Taken Away. There Is Currently No Technology Available To Do So.
But Japan’s Government And The IAEA Say The Contaminated Water Will Be Highly Diluted And Released Slowly Over Decades. That Means The Concentration Of Tritium Being Released Would Be On Par Or Lower Than The Amount Other Countries Allow And Meet International Safety And Environmental Regulations.
TEPCO, Japan’s Government, And The IAEA Also Argue That Tritium Occurs Naturally In The Environment, From Rain To Sea Water To Tap Water, And Even In The Human Body – So Releasing Small Amounts Into The Sea Should Be Safe.

How Will The Water Be Released?

First, The Wastewater Will Be Treated To Filter Out All The Removable Harmful Elements. The Water Is Then Stored In Tanks And Analyzed To Measure How Radioactive It Still Is; Much Of It Will Be Treated A Second Time, According To TEPCO.
The Wastewater Will Then Be Diluted To 1,500 Becquerels Of Tritium – A Unit Of Radioactivity – Per Liter Of Clean Water. For comparison, Japan’s Regulatory Limit Allows A Maximum Of 60,000 Becquerels Per Liter. WHO Allows 10,000, While The US Has A More Conservative Limit Of 740 Becquerel Per Liter.
Diluted Water Will Then Be Released Through An Undersea Tunnel Off The Coast, Into The Pacific Ocean. Third Parties Including The IAEA Will Monitor The Discharge During And After Its Release.

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Zaheer Hussain

Senior Lecturer General Studies, SSBCrackExams, Passionate Teacher, Masters in Public Administration, Expertise in Polity, History and Current Affairs. Loves Food and traveling Solo.