Japan to release irradiated Fukushima Water into the Sea

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Amid safety concerns, the Japanese government has stressed that "water stored in tanks will not be discharged as it is." Instead, it will have been treated through a system that removes most of the radioactive material except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen not harmful to humans in small amounts.
"Before the discharge, the water in tanks will also be sufficiently diluted so that the concentration of tritium will be much lower than Japan's national regulatory standards, which is compliant with international standards," the Prime Minister's office said in a statement.


Tritium only "emits weak radiation" and its impact on health is "very low," the statement said, adding that operators of nuclear reactors around the world routinely discharge tritium into the sea and air.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on its website that the previously contaminated water will only be released once any chemicals are diluted to levels much lower than national and international standards.
It added that the diluting and discharging process will be monitored by third parties, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told CNN there is "no harm" in releasing treated water into the sea.
"It is not like you are going to see the sea glowing in purple or green, and all fish will be dead, and the Pacific Ocean will be killed. Of course not," Grossi said. "This has been done ... in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, in many parts of the world, and there is no adverse environmental impact whatsoever.
"There wouldn't be any authorization or any endorsement, if I can put it like this, from the IAEA to an operation that is causing harm or that is not environmentally neutral."
 
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