The amount of radioactive tritium found in wastewater from Chinese nuclear plants in 2021 has exceeded the maximum allowable annual amount for treated water that will be released from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, according to public data. China has opposed Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima plant into the sea, but Tokyo has not taken similar measures despite the high level of tritium found in Chinese waters. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has emphasized the difference between Fukushima water and water released by nuclear plants in normal operations. The Qinshan nuclear plant in Zhejiang Province released around 218 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2021, approximately ten times the maximum annual release set for Fukushima water. The yearbook on the Chinese nuclear power industry also revealed that other nuclear plants in China released tritium levels exceeding the Fukushima limit. In July, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the planned release of Fukushima water aligns with global safety standards and would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment. However, China has criticized the IAEA report and implemented comprehensive radiation testing on all seafood imports from Japan.
Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:44:18 GMT | Kyodo News Plus