Greetings All,

Do you remember the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan back in 2011, causing a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi (Number 1) Power Plant? Well, I came across some recent information that I found very disturbing. Apparently, radioactive water from the plant is still flowing into the Pacific Ocean. It’s flowing in at a rate of 2 billion becquerels a day, according to The Japan Times. They’ve advised the following:

The amount of leaking cesium 137 has decreased from some 30 billion becquerels in 2013, Michio Aoyama, a professor at the Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, said in his study.

The study said the concentration of radiation—0.02 becquerel per liter of seawater found in samples collected near a coastal town 8km south of the No. 1 plant—is at a level that does not affect the local fishing industry. 

The radioactive water is generated in a process to cool melted nuclear fuel at three damaged reactors at the complex. The reactors experienced core meltdowns after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. 

Chairman and Design Director of the Engineering and Consulting firm WME Consultants, Mark Whitby, also advised that the radioactive water is recycled to re-cool the reactors, but Japan is running out of storage space. However, “they’re now getting to the point where they are beginning to talk about wanting to just drop the tanks into the ocean, because they just can’t keep building these tanks to keep the place cool.” So I’m not sure if the radioactive water has indeed been dumped already, or if this was all a rumor. I’ll continue to do more research, but if you’re knowledgeable on this topic, please comment below.

Until Next Time…

(Sources)

Japan to Dump Deadly Fukushima Waste into Pacific Ocean? (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2018, from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/japan-dump-fukushima-nuclear-waste/

Seven years on, radioactive water at Fukushima plant still flowing into ocean, study finds. (2018, February 21). Retrieved July 3, 2018, from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/03/29/national/seven-years-radioactive-water-fukushima-plant-still-flowing-ocean-study-finds/#.WzQDxS2ZNmA