Japan prepares for release of tritium from Fukushima plant

[WhiteTara]

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/japan-prepares-release-tritium-fukushima-plant-050935788.html?nhp=1

TOKYO (AP) — To dump or not to dump a little-discussed substance is the question brewing in Japan as it grapples with the aftermath of the nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima five years ago. The substance is tritium.

The radioactive material is nearly impossible to remove from the huge quantities of water used to cool melted-down reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, which was wrecked by the massive tsunami in northeastern Japan in March 2011.

The water is still accumulating since 300 tons are needed every day to keep the reactors chilled. Some is leaking into the ocean.

Huge tanks lined up around the plant, at last count 1,000 of them, each hold hundreds of tons of water that have been cleansed of radioactive cesium and strontium but not of tritium.

Ridding water of tritium has been carried out in laboratories. But it's an effort that would be extremely costly at the scale required for the Fukushima plant, which sits on the Pacific coast. Many scientists argue it isn't worth it and say the risks of dumping the tritium-laced water into the sea are minimal.

Their calls to simply release the water into the Pacific Ocean are alarming many in Japan and elsewhere.

[Gregorian]

1. Since I looked it up I might as post this tidbit from wiki

Since tritium is a low energy beta emitter, it is not dangerous externally (its beta particles are unable to penetrate the skin),[20] but it is a radiation hazard when inhaled, ingested via food or water, or absorbed through the skin.[21][22][23][24] HTO has a short biological half-life in the human body of 7 to 14 days, which both reduces the total effects of single-incident ingestion and precludes long-term bioaccumulation of HTO from the environment.

[WhiteTara]

5. thanks. Maybe it will dissipate

rapidly and will not have lasting or harmful effects for the fish and other ocean dwelling creatures.

[Octafish]

2. 'Many scientists argue' that 'risks of dumping the tritium-laced water into the sea are minimal.'

As in scientists who are employed by industry and academia.

Any money going to fund scientists who are not sure and would like to study the question?

[Rex]

3. Anyone in a white lab coat, hard hat and clip board, can be a scientist if the agenda calls for it.

I wouldn't trust TEPCO to be honest, they have a history of getting the Japanese government to do what they tell them to do.

[Thor_MN]

4. Geiger counters can't detect Tritium as the electrons released are so low in energy.

The electrons released can penetrate about a quarter inch of air.

The treatment for Tritium ingestion is drinking lots of water.

The total amount is thought to be on the order of less than a quarter ounce of Tritium.

That said, simply releasing the water is not great, but there aren't any methods to extract it at the scale needed.