Japan Wants to Push A Million Tons Of Radioactive Water Into the Pacific Ocean

[bigheadfred]

Japan has still not come to a consensus on what to do with a million tons of nuclear water six years after their primary nuclear power plant in Fukushima was rocked by a tsunami.

The water stored in 900 large, dense, packed tanks on site could spill if another major natural disaster should strike, The Japan Times reported.

The government has been urged by experts to gradually release the water to the Pacific Ocean, as all the radioactive elements of the water except tritium—which has been said to be safe in small amounts—have been removed through treatment. But if the tank breaks, the contents may not be able to be controlled.

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Local fishermen are extremely hesitant to this solution because many consumers are still uncertain to eat fish caught off Fukushima, despite tests that say the fish is safe to eat.

http://www.newsweek.com/japan-has-reached-impasse-over-million-tons-radioactive-water-722463

[roamer_1]

Run it through a distillery and contain the resulting solids... How hard is that?

[The_Reader_David]

Run it through a distillery and contain the resulting solids... How hard is that?

It seems that's been done.  The remaining radioactivity they mentioned is from tritium, the isotope of hydrogen with two neutrons and a proton in the nucleus, rather than the usual proton, meaning it is the water itself that is radioactive.  (Probably there are some heavy isotopes of oxygen, too, unless they all have very short half-lives -- something I don't know and didn't bother looking up.) 

It they can let it out gradually into a part of the ocean with strong currents that go out to sea, this shouldn't be a problem.

[roamer_1]

[...] this shouldn't be a problem.

Yeah... I've heard that before.