Bbc japan nuclear water

Japan has begun releasing treated radioactive water from its damaged Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean - 12 bbc japan nuclear water after a nuclear meltdown. That's despite China slapping a ban on Japanese seafood and protests in Japan itself and South Korea. The UN's atomic regulator says the water will have "negligible" radiological impact on people and the environment.

Japan will start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, despite opposition from its neighbours. The decision comes weeks after the UN's nuclear watchdog approved the plan. Some 1. The water will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted. Authorities will request for the plant's operator to "promptly prepare" for the disposal to start on 24 August if weather and sea conditions are appropriate, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting.

Bbc japan nuclear water

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Related Topics. Protesters call for the water release plan to be called off in a rally outside the Japanese PM's residence in Tokyo on Tuesday.

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Japan has begun releasing treated radioactive water from its damaged Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean - 12 years after a nuclear meltdown. That's despite China slapping a ban on Japanese seafood and protests in Japan itself and South Korea. The UN's atomic regulator says the water will have "negligible" radiological impact on people and the environment. An earthquake followed by a tsunami in wrecked the nuclear power plant, destroying its cooling system and causing reactor cores to overheat and contaminate water within the facility with highly radioactive material. Since the disaster, power plant company Tepco has been pumping in water to cool down the reactors' fuel rods.

Bbc japan nuclear water

Japan will start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, despite opposition from its neighbours. The decision comes weeks after the UN's nuclear watchdog approved the plan. Some 1. The water will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted. Authorities will request for the plant's operator to "promptly prepare" for the disposal to start on 24 August if weather and sea conditions are appropriate, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting. Mr Kishida had visited the plant on Sunday, prompting speculation the release was imminent. The government has said that releasing the water is a necessary step in the lengthy and costly process of decommissioning the plant, which sits on the country's east coast, about km miles north-east of the capital Tokyo. Japan has been collecting and storing the contaminated water in tanks for more than a decade, but space is running out. In , a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.

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More on this story. The problem is being caused by a radioactive element of hydrogen called tritium, which can't be removed from the contaminated water because there is no technology to do it. But many people who are exposed to the Pacific Ocean every day have concerns. The plan to release water from the plant has caused alarm across Asia and the Pacific since it was approved by the Japanese government two years ago. The water will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted. Japan's environment ministry said it had also collected seawater samples from 11 different locations on Friday and would release the results on Sunday. Some media commentators believe this could be a political move, especially as experts say there is no scientific evidence backing concerns around seafood, as the radiation released is so low. Plant operators Tepco have been filtering the water to remove more than 60 radioactive substances but the water will not be entirely radiation-free as it will still contain tritium and carbon radioactive isotopes of hydrogen and carbon that cannot be easily removed from water. Related Topics. Sushi lovers grab last bites as seafood ban hits Japan Discharge from Japan nuclear plant safe, tests show What are the concerns over Fukushima water release? It accused Japan of treating the ocean like its "private sewer. Since the disaster, power plant company Tepco has been pumping in water to cool down the reactors' fuel rods. The waste water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been stored in tanks for years. James Smith, professor of environment and geological sciences with Portsmouth University, said that "in theory, you could drink this water", because the waste water is already treated when it is stored and then diluted. He added all nations across the region may not agree on the "complex" issue, but urged them to "assess the science".

A UN watchdog has said that Japan's plan to release waste water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea complies with international standards. The International Atomic Energy Agency says the release will have a "negligible" impact on the environment. The Fukushima facility is running out of storage space for the water, which was used to cool nuclear reactors.

Image source, EPA. American professor Emily Hammond, an expert in energy and environmental law with George Washington University, said: "The challenge with radionuclides such as tritium is that they present a question that science cannot fully answer; that is, at very low levels of exposure, what can be counted as 'safe'? But is it safe? The problem is being caused by a radioactive element of hydrogen called tritium, which can't be removed from the contaminated water because there is no technology to do it. Authorities will request for the plant's operator to "promptly prepare" for the disposal to start on 24 August if weather and sea conditions are appropriate, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting. South Korea's government, however, has endorsed the plan, and has accused protesters of scaremongering. Experts say the waste water could be carried by ocean currents, particularly the cross-Pacific Kuroshio current. An earthquake followed by a tsunami in wrecked the nuclear power plant, destroying its cooling system and causing reactor cores to overheat and contaminate water within the facility with highly radioactive material. Image source, Getty Images. Some media commentators believe this could be a political move, especially as experts say there is no scientific evidence backing concerns around seafood, as the radiation released is so low.