According to Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant in the Pacific Ocean, it will have zero environmental impact, according to one nuclear engineering professor who spoke to CNBC.
Japan on Tuesday said the operator in Fukushima, Tokyo Electric Power Co. or TEPCO, would treat and dilute the water before pumping it out over two years. There are more than a million tons of radioactive water from the devastated plant, and it will take decades to release it completely.
The move drew sharp opposition from Japanese neighbors and environmental activists.
But Brent Heuser of the University of Illinois said the filtering process would remove most radioactive elements from the water, leaving only tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, which is not harmful in small amounts.
Photo taken on October 12, 2017 shows large tanks storing contaminated radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
“Tritium is not dangerous in small amounts … it will be very dilute, it is simply not worrying, the environmental impact is zero,” Heuser, a professor of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” said. on Thursday.
Yet Japan’s neighbors, including China and South Korea, opposed the plan. The environmental group Greenpeace as well as local residents and fishermen also expressed their concern.
South Korea has summoned the Japanese ambassador to Seoul and is investigating reportedly ways to fight Japan’s ruling in an international court.
In China, the foreign ministry criticized Japan in a statement for “unilaterally” deciding to release the water, while ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian challenged Japanese officials to remove water from the Fukushima plant. drink.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported Taiwan said it would continue to express its concern and closely monitor the related developments.
Pollute the ocean
Reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant were damaged in 2011 by a massive earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO has stored the contaminated water in tanks, but its storage capacity is likely to run out by the end of next year.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said releasing water into the ocean was the “most realistic” option.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said “Japan’s chosen method of disposing of water is technically feasible and in line with international practice.” The US said Japan was transparent and its approach appeared to be in line with “globally accepted nuclear safety standards”.
For Heuser, there are bigger issues about ocean pollution than Japan releasing the treated water.
‘I would say to people who are worried about it in the sea: we’re throwing 8 tons of plastic into the ocean; pregnant women are not supposed to eat tuna due to mercury poisoning; ‘microplastics are in the marine food chain – that’s what we need to worry about,’ he said.