Japan has begun tests of new facilities designed to discharge treated nuclear wastewater into the sea.
The water has been used to cool the melted reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, but after filling more than 1000 tanks, storage is expected to reach capacity early next year. Japan has treated the water to the point where officials say it is no longer harmful, and now intend to dilute and release it into the Pacific Ocean.
The NZ SMC led a global media briefing with three experts:
- Dr David Krofcheck is a senior lecturer in physics at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research specialises in nuclear physics and natural radiation from the environment.
- Associate Professor Tony Hooker is at the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences of Adelaide University in Australia. He is the Immediate Past President of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society. He provides expert advice to government, industry and the public regarding the health effects of radiation, and sits on the Pacific Island Forum’s independent panel of global experts on nuclear issues.
- Professor Chau-Ron Wu is a Research Fellow at the Research Center for Environmental Changes in Academia Sinica, Taiwan. His primary research focuses on developing models to analyze ocean circulation in the North Pacific region.
A recording of the briefing is available below: