The discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima into the Pacific is scheduled to begin on August 23, weather permitting. The international community has expressed concern about the possible consequences on biodiversity and health and announced measures. What is it really?
March 11, 2011. A tsunami devastates northeastern Japan. From the waveswaves gigantic crashes, sometimes more than 30 meters, crash on the coast. In Fukushima the breaking wave is “only” 15 meters long, but it is enough to undermine the air cooling systems. Nuclear power plantNuclear power plant, causing three of the four reactors to melt down. To cool them, 140 tons of water are needed per day. Contaminated by radioactive elements, they must then be stored. Today, the equivalent of 536 Olympic swimming pools sleep in tubs, or 97% of the site’s storage capacity. In 2021 the ax falls: it will be the progressive rejection in the Pacific, spread over a period of 40 years. Of course, it’s not about releasing contaminated water.
Filtered and theoretically safe water
Japan is developing a system of filtrationfiltration Of absorptionabsorption allowing the water to get rid of 62 of the 64 nuclides it still contains, with the exception of carbon 14 and tritium. This is what worries us because, linked to organic molecules, it can present a risk to health. Eagerly, Japan asks the IAEA, the International Agency forpowerpower atomic. His relationshipreturned July 4th, estimate project “complies with international safety standards”. Understand: The radioactivity of the water must not exceed 60,000 becquerelbecquerel per litre, and the radioactivity of Fukushima’s waters should not exceed 1,500 becquerels. This is little, but still too much to reassure China and neighboring island nations. According to a survey, 80% of South Koreans fear the consequences of refusing the operation. To the point that the residents, seized by panic, decided to stock up on salt, causing a shortage.
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