THE release of waste water from Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant would have a negligible effect on South Korean waters, according to a government study published on Thursday (Feb 16).
“That change would be too small to detect,” an official at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology said.
The simulation study by the institute and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute showed the level of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, would rise by 0.001 becquerel per cubic metre (cu m) in ten years, compared to the average of 172 becquerels per cu m of tritium currently found in Korean waters. A “becquerel” is a unit of radioactivity.
The analysis comes as South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol is seeking to improve relations with Japan after years of tensions.
Japan said last month that water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant could be released into sea “around this spring or summer”.
The water release has raised concerns from neighbouring countries, including China and South Korea.
source: businesstimes
