[News Terms] Concerns Over 'Samjungsooso' Due to Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] 'Tritium' is hydrogen that is three times heavier than hydrogen. A hydrogen atom has a nucleus with one proton, but the nucleus of a tritium atom is a radioactive isotope composed of one proton and two neutrons.

Cosmic rays entering from space react with nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere, naturally producing about 200g annually. 99% of the naturally produced amount exists in the form of water, present in atmospheric moisture or rainwater, and is transported to the ocean through precipitation or vapor.

The nucleus of tritium is unstable and stabilizes through radioactive decay. Through this decay, the tritium atom transforms into a non-radioactive helium atom, emitting only weak beta rays that cannot even penetrate the skin. For commercial use, it is also artificially produced through nuclear fission processes or related experiments inside reactors.

On the 16th, at the Korea Disaster Prevention Society Academic Conference held at Ramada Plaza Jeju Hotel in Jeju City, Kyungok Kim, a senior researcher at the Marine Environment Research Center of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, presented the research results on "Simulation of Marine Dispersion Due to the Discharge of Contaminated Water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant."
Photo by Yonhap News

Researchers from the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) announced on the 16th that if Japan discharges contaminated water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant over 10 years starting in March, the tritium concentration in Korean waters will increase by about one hundred-thousandth of the current level.

Tritium is the radioactive nuclide most abundantly contained in the contaminated water and is not removed by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). When discharged into the ocean, it diffuses and moves along ocean currents like water. According to the researchers, tritium released into the sea in front of Fukushima will spread throughout the North Pacific Ocean after 10 years.

The tritium entering Korea’s jurisdictional waters will temporarily appear at a concentration of 0.0001 Bq/㎥ after 2 years and then begin to enter in earnest after 4 to 5 years. After 10 years, about 0.001 Bq/㎥ of tritium will flow in, which is about one hundred-thousandth of the current average tritium concentration of 172 Bq/㎥ in domestic waters and is a concentration difficult to detect with current analytical instruments.

Tritium’s amount halves after about 12.3 years of half-life, but it takes at least several decades more for tritium in the ocean to completely disappear. Regarding the impact on the marine ecosystem, the researchers stated, "It should be clarified through future studies." Although immediate major concerns have been alleviated, this is why subsequent verification through cooperation with neighboring countries and international organizations must not be neglected.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.