The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has given approval for Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to release over a million tons of treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. According to NPR, the IAEA’s decision, outlined in a comprehensive 140-page report, comes after a two-year review that concluded the plan aligns with international safety standards and will have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.
Japan has stated that the water has undergone treatment to remove all radioactive elements except for tritium, which is difficult to separate from water. Before its release, the water will be further diluted to lower the tritium levels. Reuters reports that Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, called the approval a “very special night” during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. Grossi also assured that the UN would oversee the process at the release site.
Since its announcement in 2021 by the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plan has faced controversy and opposition. Critics argue that it is unclear whether the water, which was used to cool fuel rods after the 2011 nuclear disaster, is truly harmless. NPR quotes Robert Richmond, a biologist from the University of Hawaii involved in studying the plan, who emphasizes the need for crucial information and warns that harmful particles in the water could attach to sediment and small organisms in the Pacific, potentially causing mutations.
Neighboring nations such as China, South Korea, and the Philippines, as well as Pacific Islanders, have expressed concerns about the release. However, Papua New Guinea and Micronesia have stated that they trust Japan’s safety assessments. The timing of the water release has yet to be determined.
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