Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun preparations for the third Fukushima radioactive contaminated water discharge into the ocean. Actual discharge is scheduled to begin around November 2nd.
According to Kyodo News, Tokyo Electric Power Company transferred some of the contaminated water stored in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant tank to a transfer pipe on the 30th.
One ton of contaminated water, which is the first discharge, is diluted with a large amount of seawater and placed in a large tank, and then the concentration of radioactive substances is tested. If the concentration of tritium (tritium) per liter of diluted contaminated water is 1,500 ㏃ (becquerel), discharge will begin on the 2nd. The third discharge amount is the same as before, a total of 7,800 tons, equivalent to 10 tanks.
After the second discharge was completed, an inspection was conducted and it was confirmed that there were no problems with the equipment.
As a result of a preliminary analysis of the contaminated water scheduled for the third discharge, the concentration of radioactive substances other than tritium was found to be lower than the national standard.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment announced that on the 25th, the day after August 24, when Japan first discharged Fukushima radioactive contaminated water, up to 5.0 ㏃ of tritium per liter was detected in seawater collected from the sea area within 400 meters around the nuclear power plant. At other points, it was found to be less than 0.05 to 0.71 ㏃ per liter.
As a result of collecting and analyzing seawater in the same sea area from May to June 2023, before radioactive contaminated water was discharged into the ocean, the highest concentration of radioactive substances was 0.16 ㏃ per liter.
This is the first time that the results of a detailed analysis have been made public, and it was found that it was significantly below the 700 ㏃ limit, which is the standard for ‘stopping discharge’ set by Tokyo Electric Power Company.
The Ministry of Environment explained, “There is no impact on people or the environment.”
Source: Donga
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