Tritium-Containing nuclear waste water discharge from Fukushima’s risks and concerns

Abstract

The focus of this paper is on the problems posed by tritium in the nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The Japanese government has decided to discharge wastewater containing tritium into Pacific Ocean. However, there are still differing opinions on the effects of tritium, and it is not possible to prove that large amounts of tritium have no effect. So the research of tritium-containing wastewater is necessary. This paper reviews and discusses what is known about the tritium-containing wastewater from Fukushima and the potential impacts of tritium. This paper argues that because of the potential effects of tritium and the fact that tritium-containing wastewater discharged into the sea will eventually spread around the world, more impact assessments of tritium, scientific management of nuclear wastewater discharged from Fukushima, and follow-up investigations should be conducted.