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0 pointsPrickle2y ago0 comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discharge_of_radioactive_water...

Annual release of tritium:

2020: South Korea Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant and others Total: 365tbq or 1,022mg

The total amount currently stored at Fukushima is around 860tbq, intended to be released over the course of 30 years.

So divide by 30 and that is around ~28tbq a year.

Either way, the halflife of tritium is around 14years, and it's everywhere in the ocean. This is actually a nothing burger.

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sooheon2y ago

Why does this only compare tritium, which is the supposedly safe material? What about "cesium, cobalt, lithium, and strontium" which are supposedly more dangerous?

freetime22y ago

Those elements have already been filtered out [1]:

> Radioactive materials such as cesium, strontium, iodine, and cobalt are purified by ALPS through co-precipitation treatment using solutions and adsorption on activated carbon and adsorbents. Almost all radioactive materials are removed through repeated treatment by ALPS, but tritium, which is a radioisotope of hydrogen, exists as a part of the water molecule and cannot be removed through treatment by ALPS and other equipment.

It's only tritium that can't be removed (and that is why it is released by other nuclear power plants - in larger quantities that is planned here - as part of normal operation).

[1] https://www.env.go.jp/en/chemi/rhm/basic-info/1st/06-03-05.h...

sooheon2y ago

Gotcha. "as of January 2023, approximately 70% of the water stored in tanks still contained radioactive materials at concentrations exceeding the regulatory standards, in addition to tritium, due to such reasons as failures in purification equipment" -- so what's left is a matter of trust that they have got their equipment working and the actual water released isn't still contaminated.

Bottom line point stands, more is released regularly and this is nothing compared to the initial deluge of untreated material from the accident itself.

freetime22y ago

It’s not just a matter of trusting the Japanese government. The IAEA is also there to verify that things are as they say.

PrickleOP2y ago

Because it is filtered out by every nuclear power plant that has an inkling of basic morals?

The only materials that aren't filtered out are Carbon14 and Tritium, if I remember correctly.

sooheon2y ago

I never expect morals from large agencies. Have they allowed independent testing at the release point for the more dangerous isotopes?

PrickleOP2y ago

For the former point, fair enough.

For the latter, obviously yes. The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Association) has done it's own independent tests, as well as actively monitored japanese tests while on site.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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sooheon2y ago

Why does this only compare tritium, which is the supposedly safe material? What about "cesium, cobalt, lithium, and strontium" which are supposedly more dangerous?

freetime22y ago

Those elements have already been filtered out [1]:

It's only tritium that can't be removed (and that is why it is released by other nuclear power plants - in larger quantities that is planned here - as part of normal operation).

[1] https://www.env.go.jp/en/chemi/rhm/basic-info/1st/06-03-05.h...

sooheon2y ago

Bottom line point stands, more is released regularly and this is nothing compared to the initial deluge of untreated material from the accident itself.

freetime22y ago

It’s not just a matter of trusting the Japanese government. The IAEA is also there to verify that things are as they say.

PrickleOP2y ago

Because it is filtered out by every nuclear power plant that has an inkling of basic morals?

The only materials that aren't filtered out are Carbon14 and Tritium, if I remember correctly.

sooheon2y ago

I never expect morals from large agencies. Have they allowed independent testing at the release point for the more dangerous isotopes?

PrickleOP2y ago

For the former point, fair enough.

For the latter, obviously yes. The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Association) has done it's own independent tests, as well as actively monitored japanese tests while on site.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse