Tepco radioactive flow raises alarm over seafood safety

by Mizuho Aoki

Staff Writer

Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s revelation that massive amounts of radioactive water are flowing into the Pacific further raised fears about the harm to marine life.

Tepco estimated that between May 2011 and this month, a staggering 40 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium, 20 trillion becquerels of cesium and 10 trillion becquerels of strontium may have flowed into the sea in groundwater from under the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority will set up an expert panel Sept. 6 to study the effect on marine life, focusing on tritium, which cannot be removed even with the advanced liquid processing system that Tepco plans to restart to clean contaminated water used to cool the crippled reactors as early as next month. ALPS extracts most radioactive materials from tainted water — but not tritium.

What is tritium?

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half life of approximately 12 years. Around 99 percent of tritium exists in the form of water and it emits very weak beta particles that can be stopped even with plastic wrap.

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