09/15/23
Source: Wikimedia
McKinley Owczarski
“Infuriating.” The first words that our source stated. The source, who asked to remain anonymous, will be referred to as Person A when describing the Fukushima Radioactive wastewater. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake was followed by a 15 meter large tsunami off the coast of Fukushima. The damage caused by both not only killed thousands and ruined buildings but utterly destroyed the plants cooling systems which caused several nuclear reactor cooling systems to melt. Leaking cooling water then contaminated groundwater.
Source: Wikimedia
Person A says her loved ones are being affected by the disaster over a decade later. Now that the tanks are full with contaminated water, Japan needs to get rid of it for space and to prevent further leakage. Contaminated waste is being placed into the water and is traveling around the globe affecting the environment..
“My family lives in Korea right now, and they are all avoiding seafood. Where my grandma lives in the southern part of Korea, that is the main source of import they get, so by killing all the fish, what will the people in the southern part live off of,” Person A asked.
Even now, before the waste was discharged into the ocean, Fukushima has yet to recover. The current catch in 2023 is only o
ne-fifth of what it was before the nuclear leak. South Korean and Chinese groups have voiced their concerns and started to conduct their own research. It is now a diplomatic issue between the nations.
When asked about what Japan can do to change, Person A claimed that Japan needs to take responsibility. “It's their problem not ours (Korea).” In fact, Japan has $550 million it is using to support business in the fishing industry. Even so, Japan alleges that the damages would mostly be reputational based on gossip rather than actual science. With all of the unverified rumors flying around, one that stands out is a video showcasing a mass of dead fish alongside a beach, with the title that it was caused by the Fukushima leakage. Japan started to get rid of the water on August 24 but not without criticism from neighboring governments. While we cannot verify the credibility of the video, it do
es fuel fear among communities and ruin the economies of places such as South Korea whose people depend on the fishing industry.
Owners of the plant report that the radioactivity levels in the water are within regulatory limits as well as the fact that the eventual disposal of the waste was “inevitable.” Japan has the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency, allowing the country to improve its process with such a high profile case as well as the safety of the world.
Sources
“Fukushima Daiichi Accident.” Fukushima Daiichi Accident - World Nuclear Association, World Nuclear Association, Aug. 2023, world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-daiichi-accident.aspx#:~:text=Following%20a%20major%20earthquake%2C%20a,in%20the%20first%20three%20days.
Kuhn, Anthony. “Anxiety Grows across South Korea, as Japan Prepares to Release Fukushima Wastewater.” NPR, NPR, 28 June 2023, www.npr.org/2023/06/28/1184726245/anxiety-grows-across-south-korea-as-japan-prepares-to-release-fukushima-wastewat.
Yeung, Jessie, et al. “Japan Will Soon Release Fukushima Radioactive Water into the Ocean. How Worried Should We Be?” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 July 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/07/04/asia/japan-fukushima-wastewater-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html
Yamaguchi, Mari. “Fukushima’s Radioactive Wastewater Is Being Released in the Pacific. Here’s What You Need to Know.” AP News, AP News, 24 Aug. 2023, apnews.com/article/japan-fukushima-nuclear-radioactive-wastewater-release-fdaed86a7366f68c70eca0397b71b221.
Images
Source: [2]https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki File: Fukushima_I_nuclear_accidents_diagram.svg
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