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U.N. experts to review plans for release of Fukushima water

25 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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25 Comments
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This is the reason why Nuclear Power is not viable. This plant will be poisoning the Pacific Ocean for generations to come.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

Hopefully, the UN will put an end to this madness. However, the J-Gov and TEPCO have sat on their hands for the last until they have no option than to release into the ocean. They have had a decade to come up with a plan for this water but have done nothing. The release of this water was inevitable from day one. Tritium can be removed from water but it is expensive. There are thousands of hectares of non-livable land in Fukushima that this water could be stored on. TEPCO has admitted that a lot of this water was not properly filtered and contains many more isotopes including strontium. Japan had a chance to become a world leader in treating radioactive water. Instead they took the option of dumping into the ocean and sticking the finger up to the rest of the world. Way to go Japan!

4 ( +13 / -9 )

This is the reason why Nuclear Power is not viable. This plant will be poisoning the Pacific Ocean for generations to come.

Tritium is naturally occurring in all of the worlds oceans. It is created in the upper atmosphere from a reaction with sunlight, and is absorbed by ocean water. The amount of tritium at Fukushima is a vanishingly small proportion of the naturally occurring amount of tritium in seawater. In short, this is a non-problem.

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

What type of expert would allow nuclear power waste to be released into the ocean ?

And this Tritium is not naturally occurring it was man made.

Just as MSG is naturally occurring on seaweed and people eat it without problems - but when MSG is made in the lab and used as food people experience allergies and heart issues.

-3 ( +7 / -10 )

As the LDP narratives go, it's safe to drink. Then, connect the tanks to reservoirs and let it flow to the main water supply. Why pollute the ocean?

4 ( +11 / -7 )

And it's not tritium that's the issue. It's all the other isotopes that were failed to be filtered by the Japanese made ALPS machine, all because the Jgov didn't want to purchase the state of the art ones from the US, and instead rely on a last minute locally made crappy designed systems.

2 ( +9 / -7 )

I think that if the only radioisotope is tritium (hydrogen with two extra neutrons in the nucleus), and if it is released slowly, there should be no problem with toxicity. Tritium is not chemically different from hydrogen. The real problem is all the other tanks containing heavier radioisotopes that were filtered out.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the water, but all other isotopes selected for treatment can be reduced to safe levels

Situations like this are just there to divert attention to one thing. What does it matter that water is being discharged and there is not just one component, but many. One simply takes just one and says "but this is commonly found in the oceans" and that concludes all discussion on the subject.

Alternatively, other discussions revolve only around tritium. TEPCO has lied so many times in the last 10 years that they can't be trusted. And our government supported it, never took decisive action. At most, someone somewhere apologized, but that was it.

So the whole thing will end up waiting for the various international organisations and their statements. Then, if everything ever turns out well, TEPCO and our government will be saying 'see, nothing happened, we told you and a lot of people did not believe us'.

But if, after a while, there are fish with three heads (yeah I know..), or fish running on the beach and chasing people sunbathing on the beach (seriously?), TEPCO or the government will say 'but the international organisations approved it! We were just following it. It's not our fault, it's the fault of those foreign organizations!"

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Japan's authorities and Tepco and IAEA who want to defend nuclear industries try to pretend radioactive contaminate water look as if safe.

But, radioactivity that "treated water" they named contains are not only Tritium.

That "water" touched and cooled nuclear fuel debris directly, and contains about 10 kinds of dangerous radioactivity, never same to "treated water" that other countries' unbroken nuclear plants drain.

Shortage of place for tanks is mere cost issue by Tepco and Japan's authorities who want to save cost, they chose dumping contaminated water to Pacific, as cheeper way.

Also, countries where have opposed Japan's self-righteous decision are not only South Korea and China.

Neighbouring country Taiwan, and Pacific Islands where had been suffered with radioactive contamination by innumerable nuclear test have also opposed to dump radioactive contamination water to Pacific.

They insist "If It's safe, dump it in Tokyo".

3 ( +8 / -5 )

”If it’s safe, dump it in Tokyo. We in the Pacific don’t want Japan’s nuclear wastewater”

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/26/if-its-safe-dump-it-in-tokyo-we-in-the-pacific-dont-want-japans-nuclear-wastewater

1 ( +4 / -3 )

What type of expert would allow nuclear power waste to be released into the ocean ?

A smart one with a PHD who spent all his working life studying issues such as these.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Also, countries where have opposed Japan's self-righteous decision are not only South Korea and China.

South Korea and China does the same thing. Funny that they are opposing Japan's plan when they do the same thing.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

The world is studying about smaller nuclear plants. I think this is a very good idea. They build smaller nuclear plants widely in Japan. Earthquakes do not happen at many places at one time. They can limit damages of accidents a lot lighter.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

You mean someone with a PhD is a person that needs to prove someone else's theory is not correct to obtain a PhD ! and it definately doesn't mean they are qualified to allow numerous man made nuclear waste into our ocean.

If he spent all his life then he wouldn't be alive anymore would he ?

And its definitely not funny either.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Brown envolope under the table...

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Just as MSG is naturally occurring on seaweed and people eat it without problems - but when MSG is made in the lab and used as food people experience allergies and heart issues.

I’ve researched this extensively and cannot find a single study to validate this. Every double blind study shows no effect whatsoever. This all came about from a restaurant in NYC in the 1980’s trying to sabotage a Chinese restaurant in the same neighborhood that was taking away their business.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Can't they release the water in Sahara ? I don't think the governments there would mind little bit of money. Who knows might be a good thing in the end.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

So, what do you people think should be done with the water at Fukushima? Let’s hear your plan.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

They're declaring a UNESCO heritage site for brown envelopes I guess. Nuclear facilities around the world routinely dump accelerated water into the bodies of water they are nearby and don't have the UN drop by to provide them cover. It's just that this is a lot of water all at once and no efficacy on the level of water treatment can be assumed no matter the accounting. Should ruin whatever reputation is left in Fukushima and close their fishery. No one should accept that kind of bioaccumulation in their food.

There was no choice here though. The disaster is going to keep going, it's not like the discharge is going to stop after this

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

I’ve researched this extensively and cannot find a single study to validate this. Every double blind study shows no effect whatsoever. This all came about from a restaurant in NYC in the 1980’s trying to sabotage a Chinese restaurant in the same neighborhood that was taking away their business.

Yeah, MSG being bad for you is one of those urban myths that people keep putting out as if it were fact, without bothering to look it up first.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Japan seeks to release 1,000 tanks of treated radioactive water into Pacific Ocean:

In what way has radioactive water in tanks been treated? The water is left to allow its radioactive elements to go through their natural half-lives.

No guarantee released water will be harmless now..

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Japan is not going to get any understanding from the international community just because it has IAEA cooperation, so there is no real point in doing this.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Probably as safe as Minamata waters were declared at the time.

Funny how the Kumamoto Governor who issued the "Minamata Bay Safety Declaration" on July 29, 1997 was called…Fukushima. Can’t make these things up.

https://minamata195651.jp/pdf/kyoukun_en/kyoukun_eng05.pdf

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Going to really miss eating fish hope they reconsider their actions. Nothing wrong about this statement.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Going to really miss eating fish hope they reconsider their actions. Nothing wrong about this statement.

They'll feed that fishmeal to cows and chickens, so expect tritium in your milk, eggs and steak too.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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