NRA says tainted water may have to be released into ocean

Yes very few options. Imagine a similar quake at the storage area. I don't wanna think about that

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That is exactly the big issue. Another big quake and Tokyo and beyond will be evacuated, it nearly happened after 3/11.

Sources say it is not only the Fukushima plant which is releasing the contaminated water into the sea. There are many nuclear power plants existing in the world which are releasing the contaminated water of that level into the sea.

“Fukushima is a problem that must be separately resolved. So rather than leaving this solely to TEPCO’s responsibility, the government will take the initiative and get involved in dealing with the contaminated water and decommissioning to a significant extent,” he told Reuters in an interview.

All of us know that japan gvt and TEPCO have been too close in same bed since the 1970s, otherwise either TEPCO would not by now be in business, or some TEPCO officiacls would have been dismissed from their jobs, or both...

'Careless management'? Given the time involved and blunder after blunder, surely we can up the level from careless to criminal in terms of negligence.

What on earth have they been doing for the last two and a half years? Nothing.

Why am I not suprised? and why has my fish got 3 eyes?

What on earth have they been doing for the last two and a half years? Nothing.

YEAH! Aside from getting the reactors into cold shutdown, debris removal, developing and implementing a system to filter cooling water (desalinization on the front end, zeolites on the back end), constructing framework around all of the damaged buildings so they don't collapse in another earthquake, typhoon or torrential rain (all of which they've had), constructing a massive network of trenches and an underground wall to contain groundwater, they've done absolutely NOTHING!

Lazy sods.

Hokkaidoguy - thanks for all the bells and whistles, but 2.5 years later is it any safer? Nope. And that is a direct result of the incompetence of both TEPCO and the Japanese govt. in any other 1st world nation the situation would be under control by now.

hoserfella - that list of "bells and whistles" is a list of things they've actually done. Because they've done things like stabilizing the reactors and so on people can continue to live within 1,000km of the plant.

So, yeah. That's safer. The presence of a hot spot on site that won't affect anyone outside a 5 meter radius does not make things less safe for you and I. The presence of contaminated water on site does not threaten the water supply in Tokyo.

As for your claims about other "first world" nations - I doubt anyone would be much further ahead. After all, it took the US 14 years to clean up a relatively minor incident at Three Mile Island.

it is unavoidable to dump or release the water into the sea” after it is purified to levels recognised as safe under international standards,

If the IAEA agreed it.

That's one way to get people to stop eating blue-fin tuna...or any other fish for that matter.

“The situation at Fukushima is changing everyday,” Tanaka said. “Fukushima Daiichi has various risks. The accident has yet to be settled down.”

And yet they still let incompetent people run the show at TEPCO and within the gov't.

This only highlights the fact that we do not have the technology to cope with safe nuclear power yet. If you cannot manage and contain a nuclear power plant disaster / accident and resultant aftermath effectively you should not be using it...period. Notwithstanding the fact that Japan is incredible earth quake prone which in turn results in Tsunami's.

As the typhoons season nears and the huge deluge of water comes down on the facility flooding the already overflowing places, what will they say next?

If you cannot manage and contain a nuclear power plant disaster / accident and resultant aftermath effectively you should not be using it...period

Why? We didn't and still don't have the technology to deal with all of the untold damage done and continued to be done by fossil fuels.

Well they can forget about the fishermen's votes, next election.

Not a nuclear scientist here.. but can't we simulate some type of evaporation followed by filtration??? 2.5 yrs is too long.

The reactors are NOT in cold shutdown, as per international definition - Japan simply moved the goal posts. The constant stream of cooling water over a hot mass of corium, somewhere under the damaged reactor pressure vessel is not stable. TEPCO have done some things to improve the situation, but stabilising the melted-down reactors is not one of them; they have no access to them, no control mechanisms in place and most of the monitoring systems are damaged or destroyed and unable to be replaced. It is this constant need for cooling water, that becomes highly radioactive once it has washed over the corium, then being mixed with an uncontrollable influx of ground water in the basement levels that is causing the problems today.

Oh so apparently we have the technology to deal with the damage caused by fossil fuels do we? Global Warming is indeed a myth. Co2 levels have not been increasing year on year and tens of thousands of people do not die each year based on our thirst for power.

Thanks to those who voted me down for clarifying that point.

Back on topic please.

I’m afraid that it is unavoidable to dump or release the water into the sea” after it is purified to levels recognised as safe under international standards, Tanaka told a news conference.

Purified? This is a puzzle to me. Someone has to explain to me how the smallest elementary particle matter can be purified. Sounds like a BS to me. And dumping it to the sea continuously (open end). Well, where are all these former TEPCO executives hiding? I would like to order "HARAKIRI" to all of them.

Globalwatcher, my understanding is admittedly vague, but what I understand is that the radioactive particles are mostly attached to larger particles in the water, which can be filtered and extracted relatively easy.

I just hope the Japanese people stay safe at all costs, it's was such a beautiful area, i also hope that they realize that the situation will only get worse before it gets better. Prepare to relocate.

But don't worry, if anything goes wrong they will apologize with great show. Meanwhile check to see if any of the officers of the company, or government officials have been moving elsewhere. That may be the first warning that you get that things are going to get far worse. To get results move all officials and theri families to Fukushima along with all government officials and their families.

The best quick fix in this disaster is realizing that we as a race have let this happen and now we will all be paying the price for generations to come.

Hokkaidoguy: They haven't done what they've --TEPCo and the government(s)-- needed to do which is be honest, diligent and to think "outside of the manual". They haven't approached the catastrophes with a true sense of urgency, dedication or care. They've focused more on getting the nuclear industry greased and up and running for their cronies than securing a safer present and future. You mention 'stabilising the reactors', what reactors? If you mean 5 and 6 and the reactors at Dai-Ni, sure, they are in cold shutdown. If you are talking about 1, 2 and 3 there are NO reactors. Just Corium masses. And they are in no way stable. They are as stable as a marble balanced on the top of a can on its side. That is no normal definition of stable. I in no way wish to detract from what a lot of obviously brave people have done and are doing but come on, a workforce mainly sourced by the Yakuza? Hardly the skilled workers this most dangerous of situations demands. You either don't get it or are just playing Devil's Advocate, which ever it is, it's a dangerous approach as it simply isn't based in the cold dark reality of what is the world's worst nuclear catastropheS.

So, here it comes, "It is regrettable but....." I guess we have all been waiting for this. Gotts love the way they state, "after it has been treated". TEPCO has been dumping it for over a year without treatment. It just proves they have no actual plan on how to deal with this and are just making it up as they go along. The reasons given for the released of said 'treated' water are not reasons at all! They are just excuses resulting from these wombats having no idea what they are doing!

“I’m afraid that it is unavoidable to dump or release the water into the sea” after it is purified to levels recognised as safe under international standards, Tanaka told a news conference.

This is just criminal! If the water is purified to levels of recognized as safe, then dump them in Japan's landfill. Don't dump them into the ocean where the world gets it! The world should sue Japan for damaging the entire entire fishing industries.

Guys and gals, Read the signs. All that have been commented tells me you all know the risk. Another serious incident ( earthquake, tsunami etc ) the disaster will increase many fold. Get out while you can. I did a year ago. Do you have any confidence in the food you eat?

I'm curious about how many of the above posters are experts on nuclear energy and power plants.

There seems to be a lot of 'this should happen', 'shyly haven't they done thst?'

Is anyone here an expert or are we all simply letting off hot air based on low-level knowledge?

@1 Aussie, justifiable concerns and nice to know you, as people should, care. We source all our food from outside of Japan, at first, when we got back after a four month fly away, it was difficult, but you get into the routine. COSTCO, other supermarkets, especially those that provide for the food industry, all have a good range of veggies and fruit, meats and dairy products from outside Japan. Remember Japan has one of the world's lowest self food suffiency, at about 40%. Lots of choice. We haven't eaten fish since day zero from the Pacific and our water is from Italy. Bread we use the amazing homebakery that is our slave, flour from Canada, yeast from France, margarine from the US and well, all is just that. Well. It's not all doom and gloom there are even radiation free restaraunts now.

Release the water into the ocean, poplute the world. Empty it into the ocean and we eat the fish from the ocean and we all get radioactive poisoning. Great idea.

It's like an endless loop of the same news over and over again. "Radioactive water leaking into the ocean", "May have leaked into the ocean", "Tonnes of contaminated water have leaked into the ocean", "May have leaked into the ocean". I wish they'd stick with their admission that water has already leaked into the ocean, and finally move on with an effective proactive solution. Clearly what they've been doing (or lack thereof) hasn't been working over the past 2 years. Bring in foreign assistance! Admit you've completely lost control TEPCO and JGov, before you not only destroy Japan's, but the world's oceans!

We know Mr. Tanaka!

Japan apologizing? We all know what Japan's apologies are like -- with no action to show for it, and always followed the next day by a "Well, but..",

And to think that all this pollution, all this time, all this money could have been avoided if TEPCO had just followed repeated recommendations that they build the facility a couple of dozen meters further away from the sea and install a backup power generator on the landward side. Total cost would have been a few million yen and a slight increase in running costs (I think it was about 0.02%).

... now they have this massive mess to clean up, paid for by the taxpayers in more ways than one.

Why is TEPCO still in business? Why is Kansai Electric being allowed to dodge maintenance on its plants? Where are the protesters with signs outside of Abe's house washing his car with Fukushima seawater and offering him free pet bottles of Fukushima water to drink?

globalwatcher:

Purified? This is a puzzle to me. Someone has to explain to me how the smallest elementary particle matter can be purified. Sounds like a BS to me.

IIRC the basic process goes like this: Seawater -> desalination -> reactor -> filtration -> zeolites canister -> holding tanks.

The system has had quite a few design changes, but it's a really neat piece of engineering when you consider it was pretty much designed and built on the fly. Built with help from US and French firms as well as Toshiba and Hitachi (one of many multinational co-operation elements of this disaster that certain groups refuse to admit happened).

Dumping the contaminated water into the ocean is not a solution. It is further damaging the planet. If TEPCO wants to make this right TEPCO should be charged with paying for rockets to be built and launch this waste into space on a direct course for the sun. The Rockets #1 would never make it number to the water would just vaporized along with the radiation.

Very expensive yes, but we don't continue to pollute our planet.

@“I’m afraid that it is unavoidable to dump or release the water into the sea” after it is purified to levels recognised as safe under international standards, Tanaka told a news conference.

Further information required before comment

Ouput rate of purification system Input rate of water into storage Budget available Precise specifications for "purified to levels recognised as safe under international standards"

Because the output rate must match the input rate, it will constrain the purity achievable for a given $$ budget. That leaves one free variable which is "safe under international standards".

How much radioactivity is building up in the sea life around Japan? Hasn't the NRA heard of bioaccumulatation???

All I can say is 'hold the sushi'......

“I’m afraid that it is unavoidable to dump or release the water into the sea” after it is purified to levels recognised as safe under international standards, Tanaka told a news conference.

Actually, there is an alternative to dumping into the ocean.

After the water is high-reflux distilled to rid it of everything but tritium, the water can be frozen into a stable glacier in antarctica where it will remain sequestered till it decays away.

How much radioactivity is building up in the sea life around Japan? Hasn't the NRA heard of bioaccumulatation???

The only radioisotope that cannot be easily removed (tritium) does not bio-accumulate.