Fukushima Wastewater
It’s a trans-boundary and trans-generational event. Anything released into the ocean off of Fukushima is not going to stay in one place - Robert Richmond
image by: UCA News
HWN Suggests
Japan releases nuclear wastewater into the Pacific. How worried should we be?
Japan has started releasing wastewater into the ocean. But this isn’t the kind of wastewater that flows from city streets into stormwater drains. It’s treated nuclear wastewater used to cool damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, stricken by an earthquake over a decade ago.
Japan claims that the wastewater, containing a radioactive isotope called tritium and possibly other radioactive traces, will be safe. Neighboring countries and other experts say it poses an environmental threat that will last generations and may affect ecosystems all the way to North America. Who is right?
Resources
This nuclear byproduct is fueling debate over Fukushima’s seafood
Is disposing water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean safe for marine life? Scientists say it's complicated.
China’s Concern About Nuclear Wastewater May Be More About Politics Than Science
Have you considered that “man-tall crabs” or “Cthulu-esque octopuses” could emerge from the sea in 30 to 40 years? China is apparently upset that Japan hasn’t, according to a recent state media report.
Facts are up against fear ahead of Fukushima water release
Four times a year, Ms Kimura and her team of volunteers collect samples of fish from the waters around the plant. They have been doing this since the lab was founded in 2011, just months after a devastating tsunami flooded the reactors, causing a radiation leak.
Fukushima: What are the concerns over waste water release?
Japan's controversial plan to release treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean has sparked anxiety and anger at home and abroad.
Here’s How Radioactive Fukushima Nuclear Plant’s Wastewater Is
The diluted concentration of the radioactive element tritium will harm no one, Japan says.
Is Fukushima wastewater release safe? What the science says
Radiation in the water will be diluted to almost-background levels, but some researchers are not sure this will be sufficient to mitigate the risks.
Japan Begins Release of Treated Nuclear Wastewater Into the Pacific Ocean
Twelve years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the move is a polarizing step toward decommissioning the defunct power plant.
Japan Is Releasing Wastewater Into the Pacific: What to Know About Radioactivity and Seafood
The 1.3 million metric tons of treated wastewater—enough to fill more than 500 Olympic-size swimming pools—are currently stored in more than 1,000 tanks at the site of the power plant, and it is expected to take up to four decades to finish emptying all of it into the sea.
Just Like That, Tons of Radioactive Waste Is Heading for the Ocean
The Japanese government and Tepco made the decision to release the water after a process that has been neither fully transparent nor adequately inclusive of important stakeholders, both in Japan and abroad. This plants the seeds for what could be decades of mistrust and contention.
The science behind the Fukushima waste water release
The UN's atomic regulator says the water will have "negligible" radiological impact on people and the environment. But is it safe?
The Taint of Nuclear Disaster Doesn’t Wash Away
Millions of gallons of water have been used to cool the melted fuel at Fukushima. Is now the time for its release?
The World’s Dumping Ground for Nuclear Waste Doesn’t Want Fukushima’s Wastewater
Japan’s plan to discharge more than 1,000 tanks of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific has incensed island nations.
We unpacked Japan's plan to release Fukushima wastewater
"The risk is really, really, really low," says Jim Smith, a professor of environmental science at the University of Portsmouth. "I would call it not a risk at all. We've got to put radiation in perspective, and the plant release—if it's done properly—then, the doses that people get and the doses that the ecosystem get just won't be significant, in my opinion." However, some people are still worried about long-term risks of the plan, both to people and to the environment.
Why Japan should stop its Fukushima nuclear wastewater ocean release
Part of the radioactive substances that contaminate the water is now being removed by multi-nuclide removal equipment called “advanced liquid processing systems” (ALPS)—an unfortunate name given that the Alps mountain range in Europe is home to some of the cleanest freshwater in the world. After the removal of most radioactive substances—except for tritium, which cannot be removed by the ALPS system—treated water is then stored in tanks.
Japan releases nuclear wastewater into the Pacific. How worried should we be?
The plan to gradually discharge more than a million tons of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has deeply divided nations and scientists.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.