Discharge of tritium from Fukushima Nuclear plant not harmful for health: Experts

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is taking forward their plan to discharge Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in the near future.

The water contains tritium which cannot be removed from the water. What effect does this water have on human body? Professor Narabayashi explains it.

"In the case of a pumpkin, the stiff shell shows less radio activity. On the contrary, its tasty inside part shows more radio activity. This is a picture which shows a cross section view of vegetables taken with a highly sensitive radioactive detection machine. Our daily food includes radioactive materials. So, an adult man keeps about 7,000 Becquerel of radioactivity in his body. It never causes cancer because it is very weak," said Prof Tadashi Narabayashi, Tokyo Institute of Technology.

"The influence of radioactivity is defined by its concentration. At the time of discharge, the influence of radioactivity is removed except tritium. Compared to the general amount of tritium in the natural environment, discharged water contains less tritium, 1/ 1,000 (thousandth) or 1/10,000 (ten-thousandth). The tritium in the human body is not changed by discharged tritium. This level never affects to the ecosystem," said Hiroshi Tauchi, Professor, Ibaraki University.

"In the case of Japanese man, 30 percent of cancer is caused by smoking, and 10 percent is from alcohol. Smoking 20 cigarettes every day or drinking 540ml of alcohol every day is equal to being exposed to 1,000 ~ 2,000 millisievert of radiation. It is known that exposure of more than 100 millisievert provokes cancer; the risk of radiation is much smaller than smoking and drinking," said Keiichi Nakagawa, Professor, University of Tokyo.

The experts argue that discharging ALPS treated water into the sea is safe.

The correct path towards decommissioning is establishing mutual understanding among stakeholders to impart correct knowledge regarding waste management.

( With inputs from ANI )