On March 3, 2011, an accident occurred in Fukushima's number 1 power plant, and Japan has not solved this problem until now. They made a lot of radioactive wastewater along the line cooling the nuclear fuel. Now, they are saying that they do not have any facilities to store radioactive wastewater. So, they decided to emit it in the ocean after they purify it. Will this be safe and not affect us?

▲ Picture of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

The Fukushima accident is estimated as one of the most tragic accidents of the nuclear power plant. On March 3, 2011, the power plant has broken down because of the earthquake. Japan has not solved this problem until now due to its lack of technology. So, they are just cooling it down by using water. However, now, they cannot handle the amount of radioactive wastewater because they used a lot of water by cooling it. Their storage facility is full right now, and Tokyo Electric Power said that the cost of storing water is too expensive. As a result of a council, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power decided to emit the radioactive wastewater in the ocean after they purify it by using ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System).

▲ Picture of workers at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

However, there are a lot of problems that will occur if Japan emits radioactive wastewater. Korea Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries anticipates that the water will reach Jeju Island in a month and affect us. Green Peace said that this could be harmful although it was purified by using ALPS. ALPS can only purify tritium. However, a lot of other harmful radioactive matter exists in the water. If they emit it in the water, it will accumulate in the ocean environment and affect our health and other animals. Also, radioactive matters do not easily disappear. So, it will affect our life for ages. Because of these concerns, many other countries like China and many Japanese people oppose to this decision.

The emission of radioactive wastewater will surely affect our environment. In the face of other alternatives, Japan is trying to emit radioactive wastewater in the ocean because it is cheap and easy. This is not only Japan's problem but also a global problem, so many people need to be concerned about this, and Japan should examine other alternatives with an open mind.

May 22, 2021

By Minseok Kang