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Fukushima Discharge of Radioactive Water

By Myung-Gwan Kang, Reporter

Kmmg199999@naver.com

  Have you ever seen an article about Fukushima discharging contaminated water? Most of you have probably heard of it at least once. Firstly, we need to know why Fukushima's discharge of contaminated water has become an issue these days. In 2011, a 9.0 earthquake occurred in Japan, and the tsunami caused great damage to the Fukushima area. At that time, the Fukushima nuclear power plant was also damaged, causing problems with the power supply at Fukushima's first nuclear power plant, and the cooling function was paralyzed, resulting in a hydrogen explosion. As a result, the temperature of the nuclear fuel continued to rise, and Japan injected more than 100 tons of cooling water every day. However, Japan, which currently stores about 1.34 million tons of contaminated water but can no longer store it, has announced that it will release all of the contaminated water into the sea.

Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge Method and Plan  

  Since 2011, the Japanese government has established a subcommittee for the management of radioactive contaminated water and has been considering various ways to deal with it. In August 2018, they proposed five ways to solve the issue: 

  1. Ocean discharge, which purifies polluted water and dumps it into the sea 2. Air emissions, which boil all the contaminated water and turn it into steam 3. Hydrogen release, which separates oxygen and hydrogen through water electrolysis 4. Underground burial, which creates and stores space underground 5. Stratum injection, which directly injects contaminated water into the deep ground 2,500 meters below the ground.

  Among these methods, two of these methods were finally discussed: ocean discharge and air emissions, but ultimately ocean discharge was determined. In the case of air emissions, a large amount of greenhouse gases is emitted, and it is expensive compared to ocean discharge.

  However, in the case of ocean discharge, it was an important reason for the selection that it could be diluted through seawater and more accurately predict the spread of contaminated water and establish a monitoring system. In April 2022, the Japanese government implemented the first step to discharge contaminated water. Construction of an undersea tunnel 1 km off the coast of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant began.

Is Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge Safe?

  The Japanese side is taking a position on several grounds that the discharge of contaminated water in Fukushima has no safety problems. Japan requested a safety review from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the IAEA published a final report as a result of a two-and-a-half-year study.

  The IAEA stated that the safety reviews of the plan to discharge the contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was conducted in an objective and scientifically rigorous manner. The president of IAEA, Rafael Grossi, further asserted that the plan meets international safety standards.

  Another reason is that it claims that it is not dangerous because the radioactively contaminated water is to be purified once through ALPS, an Advanced Liquid Processing System, and then diluted with water before being discharged. In addition, through the treatment process to filter out radioactive substances, the tritium concentration can be lowered to less than 1/40 of the Japanese government standard, and the tritium concentration can be maintained at 1/7 of the World Health Organization drinking water standard, which is a safety issue. Japan is claiming that there is no problem.

Opposition to the Discharge of Contaminated Water from Fukushima

  Professor Timothy Musso of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina said it was difficult to believe the safety assessment claimed by Japan. He emphasized that even if radioactive substances are diluted when released into the ocean, the concentration can become stronger when marine organisms consume them.

  Another issue is the performance of ALPS, a contaminated water treatment facility. It can filter 62 kinds of radioactive substances such as strontium and cesium in contaminated water, but it does not remove them entirely. Furthermore, it cannot filter out radioactive substances such as tritium and carbon-14. 

  Additionally, when a large amount of tritium is attached to proteins and carbohydrates in living organisms, it can adversely affect cell DNA. This concern highlights the potential risks associated with tritium exposure, particularly its impact on cellular DNA when ingested or absorbed by living organisms. The opposition to the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is multifaceted, with experts and environmentalists raising valid concerns about the safety assessment, the limitations of the treatment facility, and the potential impacts of tritium on living organisms.

Effects on South Korea When Contaminated Water Is Discharged

  The Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany, published a paper simulating the long-term diffusion model of cesium-137 released into the Pacific Ocean. If radioactively contaminated water is released, it could spread far into the Pacific Ocean and affect marine ecosystems around the world.

  In addition, there is a research result that it will reach Jeju Island in about 200 days after being diluted to at least 1 part 1 trillion. This may result in internal radiation exposure due to continuous accumulation of radioactivity in the marine ecosystem and ingestion of radioactivity. Accordingly, south Korea will need to prepare accurate countermeasures against the discharge of contaminated water in Fukushima and measures for small business owners who make a living from fishing. Finally, according to an interview with Cho Ji-hoon, a faculty member of Sangmyung University, he replied, "I think I will be a little reluctant to eat seafood when discharging contaminated water from Fukushima."

Sources: 

https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20230428127800051

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N0AdJCWY_R4

https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?docId=938134&cid=43667&categoryId=43667

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEvDxKEQRxo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dff6sjHhzHE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fPpizWwTyE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC0xJILoQS8

https://www.donga.com/news/Inter/article/all/20230723/120371329/1

https://unsplash.com/ko