International

Japanese government says treated Fukushima water meets international safety standards

Japan has announced on Tuesday that it will begin dumping more than a million tonnes of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. The decision has been met with criticism from neighbouring countries, but the Japanese government says the water meets international safety standards.

Science
Sursa: Science

The water has been filtered to remove most of the radioactive elements, except for tritium, a hydrogen isotope that is difficult to separate from water. However, the water will be diluted to have an even lower level of tritium than the IAEA margin before it is dumped into the ocean.

The Japanese government says the dumping will take 30 to 40 years and that it will take responsibility for any damage to the environment. However, local fishermen and environmental activists are concerned about the impact of the dumping on the marine ecosystem.

The decision to dump the treated water has also been criticised by neighbouring countries, including China and South Korea. China has banned seafood imports from 10 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima and the capital Tokyo.

The Japanese government has said it will continue to communicate with its neighbours about the plan and will take their concerns into account.

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