Japan Begins Discharging Treated Fukushima Water: Why Nuclear Experts Affirm It's Safe

After years of preparation and review, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has started releasing treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The controlled discharge has sparked concerns among some groups about potential health and environmental consequences. However, nuclear experts internationally affirm the process is safe and follows standard industry practice.

The treated water originally accumulated in tanks at the Fukushima plant site after being used to cool the damaged reactor cores following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. An extensive filtration process called Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) removed all radionuclides from the water except for the radioactive hydrogen isotope tritium, which experts say cannot be fully separated from water.

Before release, Tepco dilutes the tritium to about 1/40th of the regulatory limit set by the Japanese government. This ensures tritium levels remain well below the conservative drinking water guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Standard Practice for Decades

The process of releasing properly treated low-level radioactive wastewater into the ocean has been an established practice at nuclear power plants around the world for decades. “Tritium has been released [by nuclear power plants] for decades with no evidential detrimental environmental or health effects,” said Tony Hooker, a nuclear expert from the University of Adelaide, in an interview with nuclear industry publication NucNet.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) thoroughly reviewed Tepco’s discharge plan over two years, concluding in an April 2022 report that the "controlled, gradual discharge" would have a "negligible radiological impact" on humans and the marine environment. The IAEA has nuclear experts monitoring the discharge process onsite.

"At any other nuclear site in the world, this would be considered a ‘routine’ release of treated wastewater with very low levels of radioactivity,” said Jim Smith, an environmental science professor at the University of Portsmouth, in comments published by NucNet after the IAEA's endorsement.

Releasing properly treated wastewater containing small concentrations of tritium has been a regular practice at nuclear facilities globally for decades without observed detrimental impacts, experts emphasize. IAEA and Japanese scientists will continue monitoring the Fukushima discharge to ensure it remains within safe levels.

Extensive Monitoring Ensures Safety

The IAEA and Japanese scientists are closely tracking radiation levels to guarantee the Fukushima discharge remains well within stringent safety limits and has a negligible impact on the environment and human health.