Treated contaminated wastewater tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Photo: AFP / VNA Mr. Aso ensures that wastewater discharged into the sea will be treated according to the plan announced by the Government, whereby the concentration of radioactive tritium in wastewater will be diluted to 1,500 becquerel / liter, equivalent to 1/40 of the permitted concentrations are according to Japanese safety standards and 1/7 of the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for drinking water, before being released into the sea. The discharge of this wastewater into the sea will be implemented in about 2 years. After the 2011 disaster, water pumped into the damaged reactors at the No. 1 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant to cool the fuel rods. Along with contaminated rainwater and groundwater, the reactor’s cooling wastewater is treated with an Advanced Liquid Treatment System (ALPS). ALPS removes most radioactive substances, including strontium and cesium, but cannot remove tritium. At the present time, there are more than 1.25 million tons of wastewater that has been treated but still contains radioactive substances being stored in storage tanks at the plant. On April 13, more than 10 years after the factory incident, the Japanese government decided to discharge this wastewater into the sea. The IAEA expressed support for Japan’s decision to discharge treated wastewater into the sea, and affirmed its readiness to provide technical assistance in monitoring this discharge. Before the Japanese decision, the Russian Foreign Ministry on April 15 expressed concern about this issue, at the same time urged Japan to approach the issue of wastewater treatment from the Fukushima nuclear power plant with all responsibility. responsibility. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed her expectation that the Japanese government would show transparency and inform all countries concerned about Tokyo’s actions. In addition, Ms. Zakharova added that Russia is waiting for Japan to have more detailed explanations, while calling on Tokyo not to make economic activities of other countries difficult, including in the fishing industry. fish. On the same day, Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Jiang Hao (Wu Jianghao) summoned the Japanese Ambassador to the country Tarumi Hideo to present a note protesting the decision to discharge treated radioactive wastewater into the sea. Stored at the No. 1 Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Waste water storage tank inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant No. 1 The purpose of the move is to allay concerns about Tokyo’s plan to release the treated water of the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The wastewater generated from the aforementioned damaged nuclear power plant is stored in tanks located on the plant’s premises, and is expected to have no storage space next year. According to Japan’s NHK Radio, wastewater has been treated with the Advanced Liquid Treatment System (ALPS) to remove most of the radioactive material, but radioactive tritium remains. Before being discharged into the sea, water will be diluted so that the concentration of tritium is much lower than the national standard and will be about one-seventh of the World Health Organization’s drinking water standard. However, this plan of the Japanese government has met with fierce opposition from the local fishing community, anti-nuclear activists as well as neighboring China and South Korea. In an interview with NHK Radio, Mr. Grossi said that the Japanese Government has officially requested the IAEA to cooperate in relation to this plan. The agency may send a team of experts from various countries to help alleviate concerns by verifying that the treated water discharge is safe, said the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. full. “We may be receiving experts from different fields from different countries and regions. Any serious concerns will have the opportunity to be discussed and analyzed technically, ”said Grossi, emphasizing, cannot ignore the concerns of some local residents and neighboring countries such as Korea and China. “Regarding these concerns, we can either agree or disagree, but all must be taken seriously. We have a shared responsibility, ”added Grossi.

Mr. Zhao also emphasized that “the ocean is not the trash of Japan”. The same message he posted on Twitter personally.

Zhao’s statement came after the Japanese government approved a project to discharge 1.25 million tons of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.

Earlier, on April 13, Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said in a press conference that “there will be no harm” when drinking treated water, and he said that Japan should drain water sooner. .

Foreign Ministry spokesman Trieu Lap Kien. Photo: Twitter.

The Chinese spokesman also mentioned Minamata disease, saying Japan “should not forget the historic tragedy” and urged Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga not to discharge wastewater into the sea without the consent of other countries.

Miamata disease is a neurological disease that has killed nearly 2,000 Japanese people, and is caused by a Japanese company discharging methyl mercury waste into the environment.

According to the plan, Japan will discharge wastewater into the sea within the next two years. The government said wastewater was treated and diluted to meet World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards. However, treatment cannot remove tritium – a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.

Although Japan’s decision to discharge wastewater was approved by the United States and the IAEA, it faced opposition from the country’s fishing industry and neighboring countries. The Chinese spokesperson stated that Japan must reach a consensus of all concerned before proceeding with the discharge.

Mr. Zhao also warned: “China has the right to make follow-up reactions.”

According to the Tokyo Shimbun, the Japan Revival Agency(A government agency established in Japan for post-disaster reconstruction after the 311 earthquake)A leaflet was produced and released on the 13th to explain the safety of the radioactive tritium contained in the water processed by the Tokyo Electric Power Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.In the leaflet, “Radioactive Tritium” was drawn as a cute “mascot” image.

The leaflet states that tritium exists in rainwater, seawater, tap water, and human bodies; it also explains that tritium does not accumulate in humans, but is discharged with water, or its concentration is greatly reduced when it is discharged into the ocean. The concentration of tritium in the water will be basically the same as that of tap water.

The person in charge of the Renaissance Office said,The reason for choosing this way to express is because it is very “approachable”, “it is neither’good’ nor’evil’, but takes its middle meaning.”

It is reported that in addition to publishing this leaflet on the homepage of the Department of Reconstruction with the same content video, it will also be considered for distribution in the surrounding area of ​​the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Mascots are indeed very common in Japan,Sure enough, some Japanese netizens shouted: So cute, tritium sauce…

However, many netizens said they were speechless and felt that the Japanese government’s approach was staggering.

“The Renaissance Hall made a so-called’mascot’ for radioactive tritium. This is really astounding. But the point is that this wave of operations misled people to believe that nuclear waste water contains only radioactive tritium, and it has become an established fact. This is even more astounding. The Liberal Democratic Party government claimed to be’treated water’, but even after treatment, the strontium 90 in the nuclear waste water exceeded the standard.”

Some painters modified the image of “Tritium Sauce”:

“The Fuxing Hall made a “radioactive tritium” mascot, and I further personified it. The focus is on the emptiness of the eyes.”(Xiaotong: This is very much like a kappa suffering from being immersed in polluted water)

Some netizens made suggestions:

“Please change to Yoshihide Suga’s face.”

To tell the truth, even in neon, which can germinate everything, it’s really not appropriate for the Japanese government to germinate harmful things and make ambiguous popular science propaganda…

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The above comments of Mr. Konstantin Roginsky, deputy director of the Institute of Oceanography of the Russian Academy of Sciences shared with the media on April 13.

“The amount of wastewater announced by the Japanese side is a small amount. This is a drop of water in the ocean. Even in the worst case, if the wastewater is poorly treated, this heavy water will sink to the bottom and lie at a depth of 5-6-8 km, ”said Mr. Roginsky.

The waste water is planned to be discharged into the ocean, not posing a threat to the ecosystem of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, because the currents in that area go from north to south in the direction of the Russian scientist. Japan”.

The wastewater discharge will begin in about two years and the entire process is expected to take decades. (Image: Reuters)

According to Roginsky, the discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant does not pose a threat to the Sea of ​​Japan, which is separated from the Pacific by islands of Japan. “US naval bases are much more harmful to Japan’s coastal fisheries,” added Roginsky.

“About 1.5 million tons of wastewater will be dumped into the ocean. Accordingly, the water is diluted, losing its natural salinity. This can be more harmful to marine organisms than it is with poor radiation release. They are used to living at a certain salinity, at a certain depth, in a certain chemical composition of water, ”explained the Russian expert.

Also commenting on the contemporary Japanese announcement of the discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the expert of the Federal Council on Agricultural Policy – Food and Environmental Management, Ms. Natalia Sokolova undertook that if the wastewater is properly purified, there will be no radioactive threat to Russia.

“Right now, the amount of liquid accumulated is very large. Most of it is regular water. If purified from all harmful impurities, including tritium, the wastewater can be safely discharged into the oceans, as well as the coastal waters of other countries will not be affected. “, Ms. Sokolova shared with Sputnik.

According to the ecologist, discharging water from nuclear power plants is a common process for operating plants. But Fukushima is an emergency, so it is not known whether or not an operation will be able to proceed. It will become clear by 2023 whether wastewater can be filtered to the required parameters.

“Rigorous laboratory analyzes should be performed during the entire wastewater purification process. Two years prior to discharge is called approximate figure. I am sure that the Japanese government will make a decision on the outcome of the wastewater purification process. So far, these are just plans and the reality is that not all wastewater can be 100% purified ”, believes Ms. Sokolova.

Japan insists it is safe to discharge water from the plant as it has been treated to remove most of the radioactive elements and will be diluted. (Image: Reuters)

Meanwhile, Dmitry Lisitsyn, President of the Far East (Russia) environmental protection organization, said that the discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan would lead to radioactive pollution. was brought to the heart of the North Pacific, where Pacific salmon are inhabited.

“The Fukushima nuclear power plant is located on the Pacific coast of Honshu Island. When radioactive pollution enters the Pacific off the coast of Honshu, they are quickly transported to the northeast by the Kuroshio currents, then into the North Pacific stream. All polluted wastewater is sent directly to the North Pacific. How does this threaten Russia? The fish forage in the North Pacific, then infiltrate the Russian table and there will be more before the polluted wastewater completely disappears, “RIA quoted Mr. Lisitsyn.

Lisitsyn noted six Pacific salmon species live in the Far East. They spawn in rivers, feed and grow in the ocean. Specifically in the central region of the North Pacific. This is exactly the site where this pollution was done.

What does the IAEA say?

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi, welcomed the decision of the Japanese Government to discharge wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea and promised that the organization would assistance to avoid negative consequences.

“I welcome Japan’s announcement of how they will treat wastewater stored at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The IAEA will work with Japan before, during and after discharge to help ensure this is done without negatively affecting health and the environment, ”wrote Grossi on Twitter.

According to Mr. Grossi, the controlled discharge of water into the sea is regularly used by nuclear power plants operating in the world and in the region, they comply with strict environmental safety standards and regulations. .

The start of wastewater discharge is expected to be around 2023. At the current rate of storage in reservoirs, all available reservoirs will be filled by the end of 2022.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference on April 13, Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide announced that it would discharge more than 1 million tons of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, saying that the discharge of water into Thai waters Binh Duong was the “most realistic” and “inevitable” option to achieve the recovery of Fukushima.