Japan says it will start releasing radioactive (放射性的) water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear center into the sea beginning in two years. The polluted water is to be treated before it is released into the Pacific Ocean. The government announced the plan Tuesday and said it had been approved by cabinet ministers. The decision had long been expected, but faced delays linked to safety concerns and public opposition.
Japan has said the water release is necessary to move forward with cleanup efforts at the Fukushima nuclear center. Three reactors (反应堆) there suffered meltdowns after the 2011 earthquake and huge ocean wave destroyed the plant’s cooling systems. The disaster forced 160,000 people to flee polluted areas around the plant. Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, operates the nuclear center. It is carrying out the cleanup. TEPCO said Fukushima will run out of all its storage space for radioactive water by late 2022.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government had decided the ocean release was the most realistic way to solve the water storage problem. Other methods considered included injecting the water into the ground or converting it to steam or hydrogen and then releasing it into the atmosphere.
The government describes the water to be released as “treated” and not “radioactive”. But experts say that 100 percent of radioactive materials cannot be removed. Government officials say tritium (氚) is the only substance that cannot be removed from the water. They say tritium is not considered harmful in small amounts.
The officials say all other radioactive materials in the water can be reduced to releasable levels. The exact amount of radioactive material that would remain in the water is not known. Some scientists say the long-term effects on ocean life from large amounts of such treated water also remains unknown. Fishermen and many people living in the area strongly oppose the plan. They have said releasing the water into the ocean could cause widespread damage to Fukushima’s fishing and agriculture industries.
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