Japan will start releasing Fukushima sewage from Thursday | CNN

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Japan will start launching treated radioactive water from Fukushima into the ocean as soon as Thursday, officials announced Tuesday, following months of heightened public anxiety and pushback from many neighboring countries.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the authorities would go ahead with the release on August 24 “if they encounter no obstacles.” The decision was made after the government held a cabinet meeting to discuss the issue.

The devastating 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami caused the water inside the Fukushima nuclear plant to become contaminated with highly radioactive material. Since then, new water has been pumped in to cool waste fuel in the reactors, while groundwater and rainwater have seeped in, creating more radioactive wastewater.

All of this wastewater has so far been treated and stored in massive tanks. But space is running out and authorities say they need to dispose of the water to safely decommission the plant, hence the plan for release into the ocean, which has been controversial from the start.

In July, the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded that Japan’s plan is in line with international safety standards and would have “negligible radiological impact on people and the environment,” reiterating the Tuesday after the government’s announcement, saying the plan had undergone two years of “detailed review.”

But that has not reassured many of Japan’s neighbors, with officials in China and the Pacific islands expressing alarm and opposition to the plan.

People in South Korea have also held multiple street protests against the launch, though the country’s leaders have expressed support for Japan.

Meanwhile fishing communities in Japan and South Korea worry that the release of wastewater could mean the end of their livelihood – with consumers across the region already beginning to forgo seafood from Japan and its nearby waters, with some governments even banning food imported from parts of Japan, including Fukushima.

On Monday, Kishida met with the president of a national body representing fishermen, who told the prime minister that the group has a greater understanding of the release of sewage, but “still opposes” the plan. move on.

Although radioactive wastewater contains some hazardous elements, most of these can be removed through various treatment processes, according to the state-owned Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

The real problem is an isotope of hydrogen called radioactive tritium, which cannot be removed. There is currently no technology that can do this.

Authorities say that Fukushima’s wastewater will be highly diluted and slowly released over decades, meaning the concentration of tritium that will be released will be very low and in compliance with international regulations.

Many other countries, including the United States, regularly release treated wastewater containing small amounts of tritium from their nuclear plants.

TEPCO, the government of Japan and the IAEA also argue that tritium occurs naturally in the environment, including in rain and tap water, so the release of wastewater should be safe.

But experts are divided on the risk this represents. Most national agencies agree that small amounts of tritium are not overly harmful, but could be dangerous if consumed in large amounts.

Some scientists worry that diluting the sewage could harm marine life, with pollutants potentially accumulating in the already fragile ecosystem. An expert, who helped Pacific Island nations review and evaluate the sewage release plan, told CNN it was “ill-advised” and premature.

Others argue that we do not yet have enough studies or data on the long-term biological effects of tritium exposure.

The diluted water will be released through an underwater tunnel off the coast, into the Pacific Ocean. Third parties, including the IAEA, will monitor the download during and after publication.