Should you be concerned about the Fukushima wastewater release?

On August 24th of this year, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan began to discharge wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. Yes, radioactive water is being poured into the ocean right now. But it’s not as bad as it sounds.

First, we must examine why it is necessary to discharge the water from the plant. Over the past 12 years, following the Fukushima disaster, fresh water has been continually pumped over the plant’s broken reactor core to keep it cool. In the process, that water accumulated radioactive elements and was thus stored on-site in containment tanks. However, these tanks take up space needed for equipment for further decommissioning of the plant, and they pose a threat in the event of another natural disaster. Therefore the safest solution is to somehow release all of this wastewater.

Before releasing the wastewater into the ocean, it is cleaned of all heavy radionuclides, through simple yet intensive processes. However, after this decontamination, tritium, a radioisotope of hydrogen, and carbon-14 still remain in the water, as they are common elements and nearly impossible to separate from their non-radioactive counterparts found in normal water. Therefore, as a final measure, fresh seawater is mixed in with the wastewater to dilute these radioisotopes. Samples taken from the International Atomic Energy Agency conclude that these processes have reduced the radioactivity of the discharge to well less than the operational limit of 1500 Becquerel / Liter. For comparison, the World Health Organization only sets regulations on drinking water above 10,000 Becquerel / Liter.

The water being released in the ocean is very safe, safe enough to drink, so why is there such a pushback? First, some studies argue that the food chain in the ocean may concentrate radioisotopes into larger animals, causing a negative environmental impact. However, this has not been proven. I believe the main reason for public resistance is a lack of information, particularly information on different levels and types of radiation and the extensive processes taken to ensure a safe release of wastewater. Hopefully this blog will be able to provide that information and prove the value of nuclear energy, and hopefully you now know that there is no reason to be concerned about the Fukushima wastewater release.