Japan’s Ministry of the Environment disclosed on Sunday that tests conducted on seawater in the vicinity of the Fukushima nuclear power plant have not detected any concerning levels of radioactivity. This announcement comes in the wake of authorities’ recent decision to release treated water, which was used to cool damaged reactors, into the Pacific Ocean.
The process of discharging water from the damaged Fukushima facility into the Pacific Ocean commenced last Thursday, triggering protests within Japan and neighboring countries, particularly China, which has temporarily banned imports of aquatic products from Japan.
Both Japan and various scientific organizations assert that the discharged water is safe for the environment after undergoing extensive filtration to remove the majority of radioactive elements, with the exception of tritium, a radioactive hydrogen isotope. Given the challenge of isolating tritium from water, the Fukushima water is carefully diluted until tritium levels fall below regulatory limits.
The Ministry of the Environment’s tests, carried out at 11 sampling points near the plant, reported tritium concentrations well below the lower limit of detection, measuring at 7 to 8 becquerels of tritium per liter. The ministry affirmed that these levels “would have no adverse impact on human health and the environment.”
To ensure the transparency and reliability of monitoring efforts and protect Japan’s reputation, Environment Minister Akihiro Nishimura emphasized that monitoring would be conducted “with a high level of objectivity, transparency, and reliability” in a statement. The ministry intends to publish test results weekly for at least the next three months.
Japan’s Fisheries Agency also confirmed that tests on fish from areas near the plant did not reveal any abnormalities. In fact, Saturday’s testing showed undetectable levels of tritium.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the operator of the plant, stated on Friday that seawater near the facility contained less than 10 becquerels of tritium per liter, falling below its self-imposed limit of 700 becquerels and significantly below the World Health Organization’s threshold of 10,000 becquerels for drinking water.
As for the water storage situation, Tepco currently holds approximately 1.3 million tonnes of contaminated water, equivalent to the volume of 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools, in on-site tanks. The release of the initial 7,800 cubic meters, roughly three Olympic pools’ worth, will span approximately 17 days, with an estimated 30-year timeline for the complete release.
In response to the water release, Japanese offices have received numerous telephone calls, primarily from China, expressing concerns. Japan’s foreign ministry confirmed these inquiries and communicated with the Chinese embassy in Japan, urging calm among the public in China.
