Sage-Tips

What happened to the water from Fukushima?

The tainted water is pumped out and run through something called the Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS, then stored in one of roughly 1,000 tanks at the site. The processing removes most of the radioactive elements except for tritium.

Why Is Japan dumping nuclear waste in the ocean?

Japan argues that the release of the waste water is safe as it is processed to remove almost all radioactive elements and will be greatly diluted. Scientists argue that the elements remaining in the water are only harmful to humans in large doses.

How did Fukushima Daiichi affect the environment?

The reactor accident in Fukushima in 2011 resulted in the release of radioactive material (radionuclides) into the atmosphere. The radioactive fallout was dispersed locally, regionally and globally over land and sea by the weather (wind and precipitation).

What is in Fukushima waste water?

The Fukushima wastewater contains carbon-14 with half life of 5,730 years.

What are the effects of the Japan nuclear disaster?

Depression, anxiety, and PTSD were not the only notable mental health concerns that came out of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Other mental health issues that came out of the event include increased suicide risk. One of the most severe long-term effects the survey found is an increase in rates of suicide.

When will Japan discharge its wastewater into the Pacific Ocean?

But in April 2021, the Japanese government announced that it would, beginning in 2023 and for decades thereafter, discharge all of the treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean as part of the plant’s decommissioning process.

Is it safe to release nuclear water into the air?

Last year, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said Japan’s plan to release the water — or alternatively, to let it evaporate into the air — was technically feasible, “routinely used by operating nuclear power plants worldwide,” and soundly based on safety and environmental impact assessments.

Will Tokyo run out of space to build new wastewater tanks?

The plant’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), says that by around next summer it will run out of space to build new tanks to hold the accumulated 1.25 million tons of wastewater. Critics argue that the government could acquire more land to build storage tanks.

How many people died in the 2011 tsunami in Japan?

The plant was severely damaged in a 2011 magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami that left about 20,000 people in northeast Japan dead or missing.