Syllabus: Environmental impact
Why in NEWS
Japan will release water from the stricken Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean from Thursday.
China, Hong Kong and Macau to place partial ban on Japanese imports. Japan insists that the gradual discharge is safe. Operator TEPCO says the water will be diluted and filtered before release to remove all radioactive substances except tritium.
History
The Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station was knocked out by a massive earthquake and tsunami that killed around 18,000 people in March 2011, sending three of its reactors into meltdown.
Nuclear expert’s opinion
level of tritium was well below World Health Organisation (WHO) drinking water limits – Tritium has been released by nuclear power plants for decades with no evidential detrimental environmental or health effects.