Tritium remains below detectable level in waters off Fukushima Daiichi plant

Nov 16, 2023 | News On Japan

Nov 16, 2023 (NHK) - Japan's Environment Ministry says levels of tritium in seawater off the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remain below detectable amounts.

The ministry on Wednesday released the results of its 11th weekly survey of water samples. It has been carrying out the surveys since Tokyo Electric Power Company first began releasing treated and diluted water from the plant into the ocean on August 24.

In the latest survey, the ministry took samples from 11 points off Fukushima, Miyagi and Ibaraki prefectures on November 9 and 11. The locations include one near the water discharge outlet, and another about 70 kilometers away from the plant.

The ministry said studies found the concentration of tritium was below the minimum detectable level of 10 becquerels per liter at all collection points.

In the previous 10 surveys, the concentration of tritium was also below that level. The results of the first survey were released on August 27.

The ministry also announced more detailed analyses of the samples collected between September 5 and 15 from 26 points off Fukushima and other areas. It said the concentration of tritium was between 0.052 and 0.32 becquerels per liter.

Officials said they confirmed that the discharge has had no harmful impacts on human beings or the environment.

The Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered a triple meltdown in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Water used to cool molten fuel there has been mixing with rain and groundwater. The accumulated water is being treated to remove most radioactive substances, but still contains tritium.

Before releasing the treated water into the sea, the plant's operator dilutes it to reduce tritium levels to about one-seventh of the World Health Organization's guideline for drinking water.

Five Dead and Six Missing as Chiba Suffers Another Major Flood

Typhoon No. 25 has left five people dead and six missing after bringing record rainfall, widespread flooding and landslides to the Kanto region, with Chiba Prefecture suffering its third major flood in just over a month and approximately 42,330 households losing power.

Road to Imperial Palace's Otemon Gate Flooded by Typhoon

The road leading to Otemon Gate at Tokyo's Imperial Palace was flooded on September 22 after heavy rain from a typhoon caused water in the surrounding moat to overflow.

Japan Pushes India to Final Ball in Historic Sano Cricket Match

Japan came within two runs of producing one of international cricket's biggest upsets on September 22, pushing reigning T20 world champion India to the final ball before losing a rain-shortened match at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.

Japan Secures More Medals as Asian Games Day 4 Intensifies

Japan's Asian Games campaign continued across a packed Day 4 schedule on September 22, with the women's badminton team securing another medal, the women's basketball team completing an unbeaten group stage, and Japan adding a historic bronze medal in mixed air rifle shooting as several of the host nation's biggest medal opportunities moved into the evening.

Japan Takes 12 Medals on Asian Games Day 3

Japan collected another 12 medals on Day 3 of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 21, with 17-year-old swimmer Shin Ohashi and karateka Kakeru Nishiyama winning gold, while the host nation also advanced strongly in women's volleyball, baseball, soccer, handball and hockey.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Sci-Tech NEWS

Rare Pod of About 50 Dolphins Spotted in Seto Inland Sea

A rare pod of around 50 dolphins was spotted swimming through the Seto Inland Sea off Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, with dozens of dorsal fins repeatedly breaking the surface as the animals moved together.

Cybercab Arrives in Japan

Tesla unveiled its Cybercab in Japan for the first time on September 11, showcasing an AI-powered autonomous taxi designed without a steering wheel or pedals.

Footage Shows Tokyo Flood Control Tunnel After Heavy Rain

Large volumes of floodwater poured into the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, following heavy rain on September 7, prompting the massive underground flood-control facility known as the "Underground Temple" to go into operation.

Lights Out for Fluorescent Lamps

Fluorescent lamps that have illuminated Japanese homes and workplaces for decades are approaching the end of production, with Panasonic preparing to wind down a business it has operated since 1951 while experts warn that incorrectly replacing some fixtures with LEDs could create a fire risk.

Dry Fog Finds New Uses in Industry, Farming and Tourism

Osaka-based spray nozzle maker IKEUCHI is expanding applications for its proprietary "Dry Fog," an ultra-fine mist that can cool, humidify and create visual effects without leaving surfaces wet, with the technology now being used in factories, livestock farming, crop cultivation and tourist attractions in Japan and overseas.

Japan Moves to Commercializing Low-Power Optical Computing

Japanese companies are moving closer to commercializing photonics-electronics convergence technology that replaces part of conventional electrical data transmission with optical signals, potentially allowing huge volumes of data to move with lower latency while sharply reducing power consumption as artificial intelligence drives rapid growth in electricity demand from data centers.

Just 27 Centimeters Could Dramatically Reduce Power Consumption

A new generation of optoelectronic integration technology developed over four decades by Japanese companies is moving closer to commercialization, offering a way to transmit huge volumes of data with low latency while sharply reducing the electricity consumed by data centers as artificial intelligence drives explosive growth in computing demand.

CameraJet Connects Cleaning Coaching and Privacy

Dyson CameraJet™ turns the smart toothbrush into an active sensing product, making useful feedback and clear privacy design part of the same engineering brief.

< 2 3 4 5 >