Measuring The Dangers Of PLTN Fukushima Wastewater

The radioactive wastewater tank at PLTN Fukushima, Japan. (Wikimedia Commons/IAEA Imagebank)

JAKARTA - Without a break, clamping in the corner of the supermarket market in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, carried out its job controlled by buyers to move frozen salmon from large boxes into small bags.

In another corner, employees are busy filling empty space for marine product storefronts that buyers continue to take as if they are not pleased with the news about the release of more than one million metric tons of processed water (treated water) of PLTN Fukushima Daiichi to the Pacific Ocean since last August 24.

The water was used to cool the reactor terrace that melted due to the impact of the earthquake and tsunami 12 years ago. As a result, many radio isotopes or radioactive substances in the water, including one of the concerns is tritium.

Tritum, in certain levels, is one of the dangerous radioactive substances because it can emit beta radiation that is able to damage chromodynamics and cells in the body, causing cancer and in large quantities it can kill marine biota.

However, nuclear expert The University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo Raka Firman Baskara, explained that radioactive substances had a significant effect if the exposure occurred in large numbers at a short time, such as during the explosion.

If it occurs in small radiation and in a very long time, the body can still regenerate. Actually, we are not completely free from active radio substances, even in bananas and milk also contains radioactive substances," he said.

In the case of Fukushima Daiichi, Raka said that most of the radioactive substances contained in processed water had been disbursed because they had been stored for 12 years, with sufficient time to unravel these substances.

Based on data from the Tokyo Electricity Company (TEPCO), the tritium content in the released water is 6.1 to 6.8 Bq/L or below the tolerable content of the human body, which is up to 11 Bq/L. These results are based on sampling at 10 points three kilometers from PLTN Fukushima Daiici.

Safer

For this reason, the Japanese Government - based on the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - issued a policy to channel the waste into the Pacific Ocean because the tanks that can load up to 1.3 million tons of water are no longer able to accommodate it.

This action is considered much safer than letting the water be accommodated in tanks that have the potential to cause leaks and flow to land whose volume is not comparable to sea water.

"The analogy is like this, we have 10 cups of coffee if we dissolve it in one glass of water, the effect must be concentrated, very bitter. But if we dissolve the 10 tablespoons in one basin, the water will not be felt so much," he said.

For this reason, the density of tritium content will be much reduced in seawater, which naturally also contains this substance.

Tritium in nature itself already exists. So, the atmosphere and ocean are called hydrogen cycles. There is also tritium in the water.

However, the Japanese government in its official statement is ready to delay the release of the processed water if the process of radioactive concentration exceeds the standard.

"The Japanese government has never and will never release the advanced liquid processing system (ALPS) into the sea if it endangers human health and the marine environment," said the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Kanusgi Kenji.

Ambassador Kenji explained that Japan carried out three surveillance, namely supervision of processed water in tanks, instantaneous or real-time supervision, and monitoring of sea water.

Japan plans to limit the content of tritium in processed water to less than 1,500 Bq/L or below 1/40 standards according to the rules.

The content is below the concentration limit according to Japanese regulations, namely 60,000 Bq/L for wastewater and based on the rules of the World Health Organization (WHO) 10,000 Bq/L in the quality guide for drinking water. "The Japanese government together with TEPCO and IAEA have carried out surveillance and no anomalies have been found. The content of the nuclide, including tritium in the sea and marine products, is far below standard," he said.

However, Japan's policy sparked reactions from a number of countries, namely China and Russia along with Hong Kong and Macau, which temporarily suspended imports of fish from Japan.

The import ban applies to products from 10 prefectures, namely Fukushima, Miyagi, Ibraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Nagano and Niigata.

Sea food products affected by the import ban include all marine-living, frozen, cooled, dried, or preserved, sea salt, seaweed, including processed products.

Keep eating fish

On the other hand, based on observations in a number of outlets and shopping centers, residents continue to buy marine products that are mostly consumed raw, such as processed for Sushidansashimi.

"I'm still buying fish and it doesn't matter at all," said Japanese resident Leo Hoshino.

The same thing was conveyed by the Indonesian diaspora, Purwati Kasmaja, who has lived in Japan for 23 years and admitted that she was not affected by the policy.

"Precisely, Japanese people use raw fish. If it is dangerous - fish conditions wherever they are -, Japan and-scan throw it away on purpose," he said.

Purwati and her husband, Japanese citizens, are still buying marine products today and believe that these products are safe.

"If people don't believe it, they have to prove, take samples that it turns out the impact on fish to what extent. So far, no one has proven that what was dumped was hazardous waste," he said.

Purwati said that during the 2011 tsunami incident when she was already in Japan, her party met with a team of researchers who conducted vegetable planting research, such as terung and chili on land affected by the Fukushima nuclear explosion.

"One of the doctors and his group tested whether there was a form disorder or what, it was safe and he consumed it," he said.

Likewise, another Indonesian citizen, Dewi Lastmi, who feels it is safer to consume local Japanese products, including fish.

"We feel safer and comfortable using or eating local Japanese products, from Fukushima or from where it comes from, we know (we know) that Japan is orderly and even if it is ruled out (over) it will be repaired quickly," said the woman who has lived in Japan for 5 years.

He also advised Indonesia's diaspora to conduct repeated checks to ensure the truth of information, in this case, regarding the release of nuclear waste water from PLTN Fukushima.