A Japanese government panel of experts says discussions on how to dispose of radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant should center on two options – releasing into the ocean or into the air through evaporation, reports the Associated Press.
It has been nearly nine years since the 2011 meltdowns of three reactor cores at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant, and the options for getting rid of the nearly 1.2 million tons of tainted wastewater in above-ground tanks at the complex have been narrowed down to the available two choices.
It is meant to solve the growing problem of a lack of space for the plant’s operator – Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). Last month, TEPCO said that storage tanks would be full by next summer, as the water level is rising by 170 tons per day.
“A release to the sea is technologically a realistic option, but its social impact would be huge,” said Naoya Sekiya, a University of Tokyo sociologist and an expert on disasters and social impact.
NHK World Japan notes that some members said the panel “should have clearly pointed out that releasing the wastewater into the sea would pose a significant social impact. This problem is not going away.
The Japanese government has for years discussed ways to handle the crisis and to reassure fishermen and residents who fear possible health effects from releasing the radioactive water. There is also the ongoing harm to the region’s image.
TEPCO says that all 62 of the radioactive elements in the stored wastewater can be removed to levels not harmful to humans except for tritium. This is because there is no established method of separating it from water. However, scientists say small amounts of tritium are not a problem.
Most of the water being stored at the plant still contains many radioactive elements including cancer-causing cesium and strontium and needs further treatment.
The ministry is looking closely at a controlled release of the wastewater into the ocean. They claim this method would “stably dilute and disperse” the water from the plant and can be properly monitored. The bottom line is it will take years to get rid of all that water.
