Our fragile oceans should not be a dumping ground for Fukushima’s radioactive waste water
- Some scientists believe Japan’s treatment system for the radioactive waste water and its subsequent dilution in our oceans will make it safe, but many others are doubtful
- Even small amounts of contaminants can accumulate in fish and human bodies. Importantly, we cannot afford to upset the fragile marine ecosystem
The half-life (or time taken for half the atomic nuclei to decay) of radionuclides varies. While some have decayed since 2011, carbon-14, for example, has a half-life of more than 5,000 years, which means it remains radioactive in the environment for many generations after us.
Tokyo says it is confident the ALPS can process most of the radionuclides in the waste water, except for two: carbon-14 and tritium. So the treated waste water still needs to be diluted before discharge, to reduce the concentration of these elements to acceptable levels.
The discharge process is expected to take around three decades. This is an extremely huge and long-term process requiring full-proof engineering- and nature-based solutions – more than 12 years after the nuclear disaster. Thankfully, many believe today’s nuclear plants are much safer to operate.
Robert Richmond, director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii, is one of the scientists advising the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum on the Fukushima discharge plan. Earlier this year, he and others suggested that Japan delay its discharge plan, as they were not fully certain it would be safe enough for the ocean ecosystem and those who rely on it.
We ought to be aware of several important factors. Firstly, there are no physical boundaries in oceans and the pollution released in one will reach the rest. Secondly, the ability of any water body, even oceans, to dilute pollution is not limitless. Thirdly, oceans do not have the magic power to turn polluted water into clean water instantly. It takes a very long time to dilute pollution, and in the case of Fukushima, radioactive contaminants will continue to be released for decades.
Scientists are also concerned that the radionuclides can be captured by phytoplankton and other microscopic sea organisms that make up the bottom of the aquatic food chain. This could mean an eventual accumulation of radionuclides in fish and marine mammals.
According to a study published in the National Academy of Sciences Journal, tiny amounts of caesium-137 and caesium-134 were detected in 15 tuna caught near San Diego, California, just five months after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Seafood is common in our diet. Even if the amount of contaminants found in seafood is really small, one can hardly rule out the dangers of their accumulation in our bodies.
Once again, we witness the selfishness and short-sightedness of political leaders. The ocean is not a dumping ground for anybody or any nation. It is a valuable resource – providing food, absorbing carbon dioxide and sustaining economic development.
I believe the countries of the world, if united, could halt Japan’s controversial discharge plan by providing more tanks for it to store its radioactive waste water, or by offering to help construct an artificial lake in Fukushima to store its treated waste water. We simply cannot afford to threaten the fragile ecosystem of our oceans.
Edwin Lau Che-feng is executive director of The Green Earth