Japan releases nuclear wastewater. Should Filipinos be worried?
MANILA, Philippines — As Filipino fishers express concern over the gradual release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, the country’s nuclear agency assures that the Philippine waters will remain unaffected.
Japan on Thursday started the discharge of some of the 1.34 million tons of water collected since the Fukushima nuclear reactor was swamped by a tsunami since 2011. This has raised worries among Filipino fishers, who fear the move could reach and contaminate the country’s waters.
However, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute Director Carlo Arcilla stressed that the wastewater—equivalent to more than 500 Olympic pools' worth—has been filtered of all radioactive elements except for tritium and poses no threat.
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is hard to separate. It is considered to be relatively harmless because it cannot penetrate the skin, but it can be harmful when ingested.
Both the Japanese government and the International Atomic Energy Agency have found that tritium levels in samples of diluted water and seawater were well within safe limits.
“The water will be diluted so it will have no effect on Philippine biodiversity and pollution,” Arcilla told Philstar.com in a phone interview. The PNRI chief added he would not recommend banning seafood imported from Japan.
Arcilla also noted that hundreds of nuclear plants around the world routinely release water containing tritium.
Hernando Bacosa, a professor at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, also told Philstar.com that the wastewater discharge no longer contained hazardous isotopes such as cesium and strontium.
“It’s relatively safe, especially in the Philippines, considering the concentration and the movement of the current,” he added. In 2011, Bacosa, then a research fellow in Japan’s Tohoku University, participated in studies related to radioactivity in the aftermath of the tsunami that overwhelmed the cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
IAEA, the world’s nuclear inspectorate, had said in July that the release would have a “negligible radiological impact” on people and the environment.
Monitoring
Even if the discharged wastewater poses little to no impact, Bacosa emphasized the need to measure radioactivity in seawater and economically-important fish samples.
Arcilla said the PNRI will collaborate with other institutions for an objective monitoring following the release of treated wastewater into the sea.
“One important thing to consider is: is it worth sampling when we know the concentrations are very small,” Arcilla said, noting that equipment needed to detect radionuclides is expensive and not readily available.
“But I wouldn't mind if the government bought equipment which allows us to do our measurement,” he added.
IAEA said it has deployed experts to ensure the release of wastewater is carried out in a safe and transparent manner.
Strong opposition
Fishers and anti-nuclear activists, however, expressed strong opposition to the wastewater discharge.
“We believe this is an unfair sacrifice to sections of the population like the fishers who depend on the ocean and aquatic resources for their livelihood. Not only will it adversely affect their livelihood but also the overall environment,” PANGISDA-Pilipinas and Nuclear-Free Bataan Movement said.
Militant fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA said its opposition against the discharge “is grounded on concrete science that the ocean naturally circulates and its current is determined by wind direction.” It noted the wastewater will likely reach the Philippines seas during the northeast monsoon season in the second half of the year.
According to Bacosa, the wastewater could be carried by the north-flowing Kuroshio current. This could potentially direct the discharge north of Japan and to North America, he said.
The Philippines did not object to Japan’s move, with the Department of Foreign Affairs saying it looks at the issue “from a science- and fact-based perspective.”
China staunchly opposes the discharge and has banned all Japanese seafood imports.
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