Ocean samples within limit after Fukushima water release: Japan
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On Thursday, the long-awaited dump of wastewater from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company into the Pacific Ocean.
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Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant as seen from Namie, Fukushima prefecture in Japan on August 22, 2023. (AP)
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry reported on Friday that tritium concentrations in ocean samples taken after the release of treated water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant (NPP) remained below authorized levels.
The ministry stated that "after the start of discharge, [plant's operator] TEPCO sampled seawater at 10 locations within 3 km [1.9 miles] of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and quickly measured tritium concentration. As a result, the tritium concentration was below the detection limit, confirming that there was no unusual situation."
In March 2011, Fukushima suffered one of the world's worst nuclear disasters since Chernobyl after a tsunami rocked the islands.
About 1.33 million cubic meters of groundwater, rainwater, and water that was used for cooling the three damaged reactors at the Fukushima site are now being released.
To remove the radioactive elements, plant operator TEPCO treated the water using its ALPS processing systems, which several neighboring countries have expressed skepticism regarding the system's reliability.
The DPRK's Foreign Ministry condemned Japan's recent decision to discharge the water, describing it as an "inhumane crime" and alleging that it would have environmental and health ramifications on the region.
Tokyo said earlier in the year that it had to discharge the treated water as it urgently needed to free up space at the disabled NPP. The move faced criticism from a number of countries, including China, South Korea, and North Korea, who fear radioactive contamination. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Tokyo's activities were consistent with international safety standards and that the wastewater would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.
At 1213(HKT), the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant began to discharge contaminated water which has been in direct contact with nuclear active materials containing residues of a level 7 nuclear incident into the ocean.
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