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Fukushima: Discharge from

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25 August

Fukushima nuclear disaster

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The water discharge from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean began on Thursday via an underground tunnel

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Fukushima: Discharge from Japan nuclear plant safe, tests show ... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66609889

By Jo Couzens
BBC News

The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant says seawater samples taken
around the facility are safe.

Tepco's test results come a day aer the release of treated contaminated
water from the plant in Japan, which was destroyed in a tsunami in 2011.

The discharge into the Pacific Ocean has sparked protests in the region and
retaliation from Beijing.

Japan told its citizens living in China to keep a low profile on Friday, including
talking quietly in public.

"When going out, try to be cautious, such as not speaking Japanese loudly
unnecessarily," the country's embassy in Beijing said. It also warned citizens to
"pay close attention to the surroundings of the embassy" if planning to visit.

Japan's consulate in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong also issued a notice warning of

protests there relating to the water release, aer 100 people took to the
streets on Thursday objecting to the discharge.

Chinese officials have called Japan's decision to release the water "extremely
selfish and irresponsible", despite the UN's nuclear watchdog approving the
plan.

Beijing, the biggest buyer of seafood from Japan, imposed a ban on all such
imports aer the discharge of water began.

• Sushi lovers grab last bites as seafood ban hits Japan

It has also seen panic buying of sea salt amid fears that future supplies could
be contaminated.

China's biggest salt producer, the state-run National Salt Industry Group, said
it was ramping up supplies as people in some parts of the country had rushed
to stock up following the water release.

But Tepco said seawater samples taken on Thursday aernoon showed

radioactivity levels were well within safe limits.

"We confirmed that the analysed value is equal to the calculated

concentration and that the analysed value is below 1,500 Bq/L," Tepco
spokesman Keisuke Matsuo told a news conference.

Becquerels per litre - or Bq/L - is a measure of radioactivity. The national

safety standard is 60,000.

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The results were "similar to our previous simulation and sufficiently below" the
safety limit, Mr Matsuo added.

He said Tepco would continue to conduct analysis every day for the next
month and "even aer that, maintain our analysis effort".

• What are the concerns over Fukushima water release?

• Facts are up against fear in Fukushima

Japan's environment ministry said it had also collected seawater samples from
11 different locations on Friday and would release the results on Sunday.

More than a million tonnes of water stored at Fukushima will be discharged

over the next 30 years.

Since 2011, Tepco has been pumping in water to cool the remains of three
reactors. The resulting contaminated water is treated and stored in more than
1,000 massive tanks.

The plant operator says the water has been filtered of all radioactive elements
except for tritium and is safe.

On Thursday the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said samples

taken from the first batch of diluted water prepared for discharge showed
tritium levels were well within safe limits.

Most scientists agree but environmental pressure group Greenpeace has said
the filtration process, known as ALPS, does not work and that a vast amount
of radioactivity will be released into the ocean.

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Watch: Shaimaa Khalil visits the treatment plant to see how it works

Related Topics

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More on this story

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Fukushima water

24 August

Sushi lovers grab last bites as seafood ban

hits Japan

24 August

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water release?

25 August

4 of 13 11/9/2023, 9:50 pm
Fukushima: Discharge from Japan nuclear plant safe, tests show ... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66609889

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ago?

23 August

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