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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

  • 15 April, 2021

  • 4 Min Read

Fukushima Radioactive Water to be Released in Seas

Fukushima Radioactive Water to be Released in Seas

Japan is planning to release about 1 million metric tons of radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

About Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant:

  • Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant is located in the town of Okuma, Japan. The reactor is located on the country’s east coast. It is about 220 km north-east of the capital Tokyo.
  • The 2011 Earthquake, destroyed the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant’s electricity and cooling capacity. Since then, Japan is struggling with the piling-up of contaminated water from the nuclear plant.

How is Fukushima Radioactive Water being treated?

  • Japan is using an extensive pumping and filtration system known as “ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System)”.
  • The ALPS process is used to extract tonnes of newly radioactive water each day. It also filters out most radioactive elements.
  • The ALPS process removes most of the radioactive isotopes. It will make the nuclear content in water levels lower than the international safety guidelines for nuclear plant wastewater.
  • However, it cannot remove some radioactive isotopes. Such as tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.

Release of Fukushima Radioactive Water:

  • Japan is planning to release the contaminated water containing tritium into the ocean.
  • Tritium considered to be relatively harmless because it does not emit enough energy to penetrate human skin. But when ingested tritium can create cancer risks.

Concerns:

  • Some scientists have pointed out that the long-term effects on marine life are unknown.
  • Strontium released in the ocean can start to concentrate in the bones of both fish and humans. Thereby increasing cancer risks.

Source: TH


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