NUCLEAR CONTAMINATION WARNING
CHINA TELLS FIJI AND PACIFIC TO SPEAK UP AGAINST JAPAN PLAN TO DUMP 1.3 MILLION WASTEWATER INTO THE OCEAN.
The Pacific is not Japan’s sewer for discharging its nuclear-contaminated water. Chinese Ambassador Zhou Jian said the Fijian Government, media, and scholars who hold the same position to speak out together and say “no” to such behaviour that endangers the safety of human generations.
Nearly 12 years ago, a major earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear catastrophe at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Now, the plant operator wants to release 1.3 million tonnes of wastewater into the sea.
Mr Zhou said that there was not much time left to speak out.
“This action will endanger the safety of the global marine ecological environment and endanger the lives and health of people around the world. For Japan’s selfish interests, it will leave endless troubles to the international community and future generations,” Mr Zhou said.
He said Japan claimed that it had the right to deal with nuclear-contaminated water, but the fact is that the Fukushima nuclear accident produced more than 1.3 million tons of nuclear-contaminated water, and about 100 tons were newly produced every day.
“It is estimated that it will be discharged into the ocean for as long as 30 years,” Mr Zhou said.
“The harm caused by the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea cannot be ignored. Japan claims that what will be discharged is ‘ALPS treated water,’ but the fact is that these are the cooling water injected into the nuclear reactor core and the groundwater and rainwater flowing through the nuclear reactor, which are completely different from nuclear wastewater in the general sense.
It is estimated that it will be discharged into the ocean for as long as 30 years.
Zhou Jian Chinese Ambassador
“Because it is in direct contact with the reactor core and contains a large number of radionuclides. It is estimated that there are more than 60 kinds of radionuclides.
“Among them, the half-life of tritium is about 13 years, and the half-life of carbon-14 is more than 5000 years. It is estimated that it will be discharged into the ocean for as long as 30 years.” A report by the German Institute for Marine Research has shown that radioactive materials will spread to most of the Pacific Ocean within 57 days from the date of discharge and spread to the global ocean within 10 years.
“What puzzles me is that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea is a clear question of right and wrong, but governments, media, and NGOs of some Western countries have remained silent on this matter,” Mr Zhou said.
“Where is the concept of environmental protection and human rights advocated by them? Where is the socalled “rules-based international order” claimed by them? Where is their conscience and responsibility?
“The international community should jointly urge Japan to faithfully fulfill its international obligations, face up to the legitimate concerns of all parties, stop forcing the plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, effectively dispose of nuclear-contaminated water in an open, transparent, scientific and safe manner, including a thorough examination of alternative disposal options other than ocean discharge, and subject to strict international supervision.”