Hey Japan Fukushima will launch sea water from nuclear power plant, Once treated, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was announced on Tuesday (13) (local time). However, the project is Severely criticized.
The decision puts an end to the seven-year debate on the disposal of rainwater, the injection required to cool underground layers or reactor cores, resulting in a recession Tsunami Day 11 de Marco Day 2011. Recall the Fukushima disaster, 10 years later, in the video below.
Fukushima tragedy turns 10 years old in Japan
Suga said “water will be released after ensuring that it is clearly below the safety standards at the level of radioactive materials”, adding that the government will “take steps to prevent damaging the reputation of the area” “.
Currently, the nuclear plant in northeast Japan has about 1.25 million tonnes of contaminated water stored in more than 1,000 reservoirs. A decision was urgently needed, in the fall of 2022, the extent of water storage capacity at the site would likely be reached.
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after an explosion – Photo: Handout via Maxar Technologies / Reuters
The water that will be taken into the sea in this operation, which will take two years, has been filtered several times to eliminate most radioactive materials (radionuclides), but not tritium, which cannot be removed by current techniques.
This option was preferred over others, such as air evaporation or permanent storage. However, fishermen and farmers in Fukushima criticize it, fearing that it will further damage the image of their products among consumers.
“We will take measures to curb harmful rumors against local agriculture, forests, fishing and tourism,” said Tomaki Kobayakawa, head of Tomko, the director of the nuclear power plant.
Neighbors express concern
A 2019 photo at the Fukushima plant in Japan shows Geiger counter radiation level 54 microliters per hour in one of the nuclear reactors – Photo: Issey Kato / Reuters
Japan’s neighbors, with whom Tokyo maintains troubled relations due to historical disputes, were also unhappy. China Today he stated his “great concern” and asked the Japanese to take “precautions” to eliminate contaminated water. South Korea The Japanese expressed a “deep concern” about the decision.
In early 2020, government-appointed experts recommended the launch at sea, a practice that already exists in nuclear facilities operating in Japan and abroad. According to experts, tritium is dangerous to human health only in very high amounts. The International Atomic Energy Agency also supports this option.
The environmental organization Greenpeace asks that the water remain stored until the technology allows it to be kept completely uninterrupted.
