- The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun discharging its second round of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean.
- Japan plans to discharge 7,800 tons of the wastewater over the next 17 days of October.
- The wrecked nuclear plant, which contains 1.34 million tons of radioactive wastewater, will continue releasing the water for decades.
- Radiation in recent catch of 14 times the safe level for humans; adds to concerns there is still contamination more than a decade after the 2011 meltdown
Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said workers activated a pump to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, slowly sending the mixture into the ocean through an underground tunnel.
The plant's first wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. During that release, TEPCO said it discharged 7,800 tons of treated water from 10 tanks. In the second discharge, TEPCO plans to release another 7,800 tons of treated water into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days.
About 1.34 million tons of radioactive wastewater is stored in about 1,000 tanks at the plant. It has accumulated since the plant was crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
TEPCO and the government say discharging the water into the sea is unavoidable because the tanks will reach capacity early next year and space at the plant will be needed for its decommissioning, which is expected to take decades.
They say the water is treated to reduce radioactive materials to safe levels, and then is diluted with seawater by hundreds of times to make it much safer than international standards.
Some scientists say, however, that the continuing release of low-level radioactive materials is unprecedented and needs to be monitored closely.
Japan’s government has set up a relief fund to help find new markets and reduce the impact of China’s seafood ban. Measures also include the temporary purchase, freezing and storage of seafood and promotion of seafood sales at home.
Cabinet ministers have traveled to Fukushima to sample local seafood and promote its safety.
TEPCO is tasked with providing compensation for reputational damage to the region's seafood caused by the wastewater release. It started accepting applications this week and immediately received hundreds of inquiries. Most of the damage claims are linked to China’s seafood ban and excess supply at home causing price declines, TEPCO said.
Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita promoted Japanese scallops at a food fair in Malaysia on Wednesday on the sidelines of a regional farm ministers’ meeting.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has reviewed the safety of the wastewater release and concluded that if carried out as planned, it would have a negligible impact on the environment, marine life and human health.
(HAVE FAITH IN OUR GOVERNMENT... THEY WILL BE, AND ARE, CONSTANTLY MONITORING THE PACIFIC OCEAN, AND THE FOOD SOURCES THAT COME OUT OF IT, YOU HAVE NO REASON TO WORRY... OUR SEAFOOD IS SAFE !
OUR INTENSIVE AND CONSTANT FDA SEAFOOD INSPECTIONS, INSURE OUR SAFETY, AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF ITS CITIZENS HEALTH... THAT IS WHY WE HAVE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE UN, WHO, CDC, FDA, TO INSURE OUR WELL BEING... (JUST LIKE THEY DID DURING COVID), ALL UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF A CONCERNED PRESIDENT.
"The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
A JUST RELEASED COMMENT: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) routinely measures radiation levels in commercial foods to assure a safe food supply. The FDA is the primary agency conducting routine testing and monitoring of food imported from Japan and other countries before and after the Fukushima nuclear accident.
As of March 2014, the FDA had tested 1,345 food products imported from Japan, 225 of which contained seafood from Japanese waters; none of the imported products contained radioactive material at concentrations that would pose a health risk to humans if consumed"
(key:THIS REPORT IS FROM 2014 !)
