NationStates

Japan’s government has reportedly decided to release more than 1m tonnes of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, setting it on a collision course with local fishermen who say the move will destroy their industry.

Media reports said work to release the water, which is being stored in more than 1,000 tanks, would begin in 2022 at the earliest and would take decades to complete.

The Asahi newspaper reported that any such release is expected to take at around two years to prepare, as the site’s irradiated water first needs to pass through a filtration process before it can be further diluted with seawater and finally released into the ocean.

In 2018, Tokyo Electric apologised after admitting its filtration systems had not removed all dangerous material from the water, collected from the cooling pipes used to keep fuel cores from melting when the plant was crippled.

It has said it plans to remove all radioactive particles from the water except tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is hard to separate and is considered to be relatively harmless.

By the way, scientists believe that the water will reach the west coast of the United States through ocean currents

https://gcaptain.com/japan-to-release-fukushimas-nuclear-wast-water-into-sea/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/16/japan-to-release-1m-tonnes-of-contaminated-fukushima-water-into-the-sea#:~:text=Japan's%20government%20has%20reportedly,move%20will%20destroy%20their%20industry.
http://www.allgov.com/usa/ca/news/calif ... ews=852554

Releasing 1000 tanks worth of radioactive water into the ocean probably wouldn't destroy the fishing industry. It's not ideal obviously, though.

Sounds like a none issue that won't affect much to any statistical degree but is being overblown because of the word nuclear.

Japan should take a leaf from its whaling industry and ship the contaminated water to the Antarctic Wildlife Reserve.

I shouldn't say that, they actually might. Fishermen in Japan have similar clout to the Oil industry in the US. Bad for the fish, bad for Japan, so fuck you whale!

There is a Godzilla joke in there somewhere.....

Not sure how marine life would be affected, but it sounds like you could swim in this water worry-free. Doesn't sound too dangerous.

Well realistically they can't just store the water indefinitely I mean after enough years of filteration and natual half-life decay some of it should be okay.

PS: How many points does China give you for making this thread OP?

The Black Forrest wrote:There is a Godzilla joke in there somewhere.....

*giant nuclear dinosaur rises from the sea*

Japan: Oh no, it's the Americans again!

Maybe they can sell it in commemorative vials, as fucked up as it is people would buy it.

Mushet wrote:Maybe they can sell it in commemorative vials, as fucked up as it is people would buy it.

Hell of an energy drink.

Mushet wrote:Maybe they can sell it in commemorative vials, as fucked up as it is people would buy it.

Do you want to get X-men? Because that's how you get X-men.

Neanderthaland wrote:

Mushet wrote:Maybe they can sell it in commemorative vials, as fucked up as it is people would buy it.

Hell of an energy drink.

They could mix in something that will glow and create a new festival.

Mushet wrote:Maybe they can sell it in commemorative vials, as fucked up as it is people would buy it.

People would absolutely drink them

Farnhamia wrote:

Neanderthaland wrote:Hell of an energy drink.

They could mix in something that will glow and create a new festival.

You push a button
Turn a dial
Your work is done for miles and miles
When it hits it's bound to shake
'Cause it feels just like an earthquake

That's the drink that you don't pour
When you take one sip you won't need anymore
You're small as a beetle
Or big as a whale
Boom
Atomic Cocktail

Cordel One wrote:

Mushet wrote:Maybe they can sell it in commemorative vials, as fucked up as it is people would buy it.

People would absolutely drink them

I can see some some shady fuark seeling them on the deep web as a snake oil immune supplement.

Bad decision.

Parxland wrote:Bad decision.

Not always. Radioactive atoms has a half-life that would basically decrease its effects (including harmful ones). If they deemed it safe enough, then it theoretically could be released into the ocean without causing significant ecological upset.

It is, however, not responsible to dump your wastes into the sea, be it radioactive, or simple things like a plastic bottle.

Part of Japan's ongoing war against sea life.

Parxland wrote:Bad decision.

Hardly. It's probably cleaner then your drinking water once it's been cleaned and is ready to be dumped.

The Lone Alliance wrote:Well realistically they can't just store the water indefinitely I mean after enough years of filteration and natual half-life decay some of it should be okay.

PS: How many points does China give you for making this thread OP?

I do wonder why they don't just allow it to evaporate and then store the resulting waste as low grade nuclear waste

Aclion wrote:

The Lone Alliance wrote:Well realistically they can't just store the water indefinitely I mean after enough years of filteration and natual half-life decay some of it should be okay.

PS: How many points does China give you for making this thread OP?

I do wonder why they don't just allow it to evaporate and then store the resulting waste as low grade nuclear waste

Because that's not how water contaminated with fallout works. Instead of evaporating around the waste, the particles would ride with the vapor into the air, which is perhaps worse.

Valrifell wrote:

Aclion wrote:I do wonder why they don't just allow it to evaporate and then store the resulting waste as low grade nuclear waste

Because that's not how water contaminated with fallout works. Instead of evaporating around the waste, the particles would ride with the vapor into the air, which is perhaps worse.

boo
Naughty stowaways

Strange, because the fishing industry is huge in Japan. You'd think that if they objected over potential reputational damage, the government would opt not to release the water.

How serious is the contamination and how effective are the proposed mitigation measures?

Eukaryotic Cells wrote:Strange, because the fishing industry is huge in Japan. You'd think that if they objected over potential reputational damage, the government would opt not to release the water.

How serious is the contamination and how effective are the proposed mitigation measures?

The ocean is really big, and the dumping is going to be over the span of years, so even someone like me who isn't quite convinced nuclear energy is the clean energy that a lot of people tout it as doubts that the dumping will do much damage.

Aclion wrote:

The Lone Alliance wrote:Well realistically they can't just store the water indefinitely I mean after enough years of filteration and natual half-life decay some of it should be okay.

PS: How many points does China give you for making this thread OP?

I do wonder why they don't just allow it to evaporate and then store the resulting waste as low grade nuclear waste

Hmm. Tritium was mentioned: that would be bound up in water molecules, as any free hydrogen would have escaped.

So that's probably why. Otherwise an elegant solution.