Radioactive Oceans
Written by Sejik Lee
On August 24th, 2023 Japan's potentially detrimental decision to release treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant began. The wastewater thrown into the Pacific Ocean sparked a global debate over its safety, especially the neighboring countries; China, which banned all seafood from Japan, and Korea which is conducting protests on the controversial issue as seen in the image. The whole controversy is caused by a radioactive element of hydrogen called tritium, which is basically “a radioactive isotope of the element hydrogen” (Cumberland County). Tritium, however, is the product that is left after the filtering process, where many contaminants are removed. The filtering process is done by Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) which is also the same company that is accountable for the release of the wastewater. TEPCO heavily dilutes the waters so that the tritium levels reach under regulatory level – which is the level of tritium that is safe for us to drink. Unless the tritium levels are above that regulatory level, consuming the waters will not have any injurious consequences on the human body. Tritium is not radioactive enough to even have an effect on human skin. However, when it is above the regulatory level, concerns such as cancer risks begin to arise. Which is why people beg the question:
Are the wastewaters truly safe?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that “people are exposed to small amounts of tritium every day, since it is widely dispersed in the environment and in the food chain," Another statement is backed up by The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the same agency that permitted the release of the wastewaters, says that the concentration of tritium is below the operational level but doubts and skepticism persist among critics. Many university professors and researchers have been debating whether the wastewater is safe or not, yet there is no official conclusion. One thing in common is that people are not ready to take the risk as it is irreversible after the radioactive water is spread. According to the CNA (Channel News Asia), one of the Korean protestors, Choi Kyoungsook says “Nobody can tell what's going to happen to the marine ecosystem in the next 100 years,” which is one of the leading arguments of the protesting people and their thoughts upon the issue. The oceans are the primary source of our food and “more than three billion people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods, the vast majority in developing countries” (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD) and to lose marine life would mean we will lose one of our most important resources of survival.
Regardless of the countless contradicting arguments, we, ourselves can still play a part in helping change this issue. Even if it is not a direct contribution, filtering our water using the technology available to us can play a huge role in our safety. Spreading awareness of the situation can help people be more alert to the toxic wastewater and allow workers in the ocean to be cautious. There are still many arguments and debates, nonetheless prioritizing safety and the risk of damaging the environment is essential, and we should all work towards a safer environment and the safety of ourselves.
Rather than arguing and fighting with each other on whether this issue is harmful or not, working together collaboratively and as a whole can efficiently solve problems like these. When dealing with issues that concern the safety of people, unity is an essential factor that should be put into use to achieve greater things not only when it comes to nuclear waste and radioactive waters.
