25-8-2023 (TOKYO) Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) announced on Friday that seawater samples collected after the release of wastewater from the beleaguered Fukushima nuclear reactor have shown radioactivity levels well below safety limits.
The release of approximately 1.34 million tonnes of water began on Thursday, marking a significant step in the Fukushima cleanup effort. This water had been collected on-site over the course of 12 years since the plant was devastated by a tsunami.
Tepco conducted rapid tests on Thursday afternoon as the discharge into the Pacific Ocean commenced. The results, revealed on Friday, confirmed that radioactivity levels remained within safe parameters.
Tepco’s spokesperson, Keisuke Matsuo, stated during a news conference, “We confirmed that the analyzed value is equal to the calculated concentration and that the analyzed value is below 1,500 becquerels per litre.” Becquerels per litre is the unit used to measure radioactivity, with the national safety standard set at 60,000.
Matsuo further emphasized that the results aligned with their earlier simulations and were significantly below the safety limit. He assured the public, “We will continue to conduct analysis every day over the next one month and even after that, maintain our analysis effort. By providing swift, easy-to-understand explanations, we hope to dispel various concerns.”
Japan’s Environment Ministry announced its collection of seawater samples from 11 different locations on Friday, with results set to be disclosed on Sunday. Additionally, the Fisheries Agency retrieved a flounder and a Gurnard fish from designated sampling spots near the pipe through which the Fukushima water was released.
Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, responsible for nuclear policies, commented, “By publishing those data every day in a highly transparent fashion, we will demonstrate our actions based on scientific evidence.”
Tepco maintains that the water, equivalent to more than 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools, used for cooling the remains of three reactors has been thoroughly filtered of all radioactive elements except tritium and is therefore safe. This assertion is supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which confirmed that tritium levels in samples from the first batch of diluted water designated for discharge fell well within safe limits.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, stated, “IAEA experts are there on the ground to serve as the eyes of the international community and ensure that the discharge is being carried out as planned consistent with IAEA safety standards.”
Despite widespread consensus among analysts, environmental pressure group Greenpeace remains critical, contending that the filtration process, known as ALPS, is ineffective and that a substantial amount of radioactivity will be released into the ocean.
China has expressed strong displeasure over Japan’s actions, alleging contamination of the ocean, and has expanded its ban on Japanese aquatic produce from 10 prefectures to the entire country. Japanese officials, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Minister Nishimura, are urging China, their largest seafood market, to lift the ban. Minister Nishimura declared, “The Japanese government… will strongly demand baseless regulations to be immediately terminated.”
South Korea’s government, in an effort to counter China, has endorsed the water release, though it has caused concern among some segments of the public.
