Japan says "the only option" is to dump radioactive water from Fukushima into the sea

In just three years, they will lack space to store the water that collects hazardous radioactive waste left behind by the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

On March 11, 2011, a violent tsunami hit the east coast of Japan and damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where large amounts of radioactive material were released into the environment.

Since then, more than one million tons of water have been used to cool the molten reactors.

On average, about 200 tons of radioactive water from damaged reactors are pumped daily to Fukushima.

This contaminated water is then stored in giant reservoirs, but the Japanese government says that in 2022, it will have no place to contain it.

For years, we discussed the use of water, but this Wednesday, a statement from the Minister of the Environment caused a sensation.

"The only option will be to dump it at sea and dilute it," said Minister Yoshiaki Harada at a press conference in Tokyo.

The measure, which is yet to be discussed by the government, has triggered an alert between the region's fisheries sector and added to the deteriorating relations between Japan and its neighbor, South Korea, which received this announcement with concern.

What happens to the water?

According to the facility managers, after the reactors have been in the water, most of the radioactive material is removed through a complex filtering process.

But there is an isotope, tritium, that can not be removed, so the water has to stay stored.

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Scientists have said that tritium dilutes rapidly and represents a low risk for humans and animals.

In fact, it is common for nuclear power plants to dump titanium into the oceans.

"The life of the titrator is relatively short," Rodney Ewing, professor of nuclear safety at Stanford University (USA) told BBC World.

According to Ewing, the title remains in place for about 12 years, so that more than 99% of them would have broken down in about 120 years.

Ewing, however, warns that before pouring water, make sure that it contains no other radioactive element, and that it is only what will be released.

"The most important source of risk comes from other radioactive elements in the water," he said.

Minister Harada did not specify the amount of water that would be released, but even if it was a million tons, experts believe that the risk is low .

"One million tonnes, it looks like a big volume, and yes, it's true, but it's still only one-billionth of the water volume in the Pacific," he said. said Chary Rangacharyulu, expert in nuclear physics around the world, at BBC News. University of Saskatchewan (Canada).

"In addition, the titrio is just a part of the water that is thrown away."

Another possible option for getting rid of water would be to evaporate or bury it, but for some experts, the risk is greater.

"The cost of evaporation of water would be enormous and the energy demand for such a process would have a detrimental effect on the environment," Professor Clara Wren, an expert in the field, told BBC Mundo. chemical radiation at the University of Western Ontario (Canada). ).

Wren adds that it is difficult to predict the direction of gas dispersion and that the inhalation of tritium is more harmful than its ingestion.

Regarding underground storage, Wren believes it is not safe.

"Storage tanks can leak and contaminate groundwater.Instead of fish, we should fear that humans and terrestrial animals will not drink contaminated water."

Worried neighbors

But not everyone feels calm with this option.

The water spill could aggravate the already weak relations between Japan and South Korea.

In a statement, the South Korean government said it expected Japan to "take a wise and cautious decision on this issue."

For his part, a South Korean diplomat who requested anonymity told Reuters that they are expecting more details on this discussion "so that it will not be there. did not surprise announcement. "

In August, South Korea had already asked Japan for explanations on how to treat the Fukushima water.

Historical conflicts between the two countries date back to Japan's colonial rule over Korea in the first half of the 20th century. In recent months, they have both declared commercial battles and suspended their exchange of information about North Korea.

The fishing industry also has its repairs due to the risk of contamination of Fukushima waters by its fishing areas.

Tetsu Nozaki, chief of the Fukushima Fishermen's Guild, has called the Minister's statement of the Environment "inconsiderate," according to the Japan Times.

Other fishery representatives said it was "wrong" to say that pouring water was the only option and that Harada's comment "feeds the concerns of the local population. of the fishing industry and spreads damaging rumors ".

Japan must also deal with the need for a swift solution to the 2020 Olympics, when the world will be watching them closely.

Meanwhile, the clock continues to turn and the tanks continue to fill up …

BBC