THREAD) 1. This is the moment when Japan started releasing treated nuclear water from its Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean.
The plan, part of the clean up of the worst atomic accident since Chernobyl, faces a persistent backlash despite reassurances trib.al/HwwSGL6
2) Some 1.3 million metric tons of wastewater — enough to fill about 500 Olympic-size swimming pools — will be discharged slowly over about the next 30 years.
👇A visual guide on how Japan is making the water safe enough to flush into the sea trib.al/77DowLx
3) Japan says that the water release is necessary, as storage tanks are forecast to hit capacity early next year.
Bloomberg energy reporter @SStapczynski says that such practice is "common within the nuclear industry and can be done safely" trib.al/ZypYNGL
@SStapczynski 4) The water has been treated to strip out almost all radionuclides, except tritium, a weakly radioactive element.
Though tritium can be cancer-causing at high levels, a human would need to ingest almost unfathomable amounts to see any health effects trib.al/77DowLx
@SStapczynski 5) The Pacific Ocean contains about 8,400 grams of pure tritium, and Japan’s proposal would add around 0.06 grams each year, according to Nigel Marks, an expert on radioactive waste.
“The minuscule amount of extra radiation won’t make the tiniest jot of difference,” he says
@SStapczynski 6) Japan’s plan is in line with global safety standards, the IAEA said after completing a two-year review.
But it hasn’t assuaged some angry locals or all neighboring nations. “It is extremely selfish and irresponsible," says China trib.al/fOVx87e
@SStapczynski 7) Hong Kong said it will impose import curbs on seafood from 10 Japanese prefectures, and the city’s environment minister accused Japan of “dumping trash on its neighbors’ doorsteps” trib.al/nBigQ5f
@SStapczynski 8) Fishing groups in Fukushima prefecture have been strongly opposed to the plan, fearing it could further taint the reputation of their catch and affect their livelihoods trib.al/45MVC9j
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.