[News Terms] Contaminated Water Purification Facility 'Multi-Nuclide Removal Facility (ALPS)'

Water Purification Equipment Filtering Contaminated Water
IAEA Removes Radioactivity Except 'Samjungso' (Tritium)
Government States Samjungso Does Not Affect Health

On the 4th, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complies with international safety standards. However, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) claimed that the IAEA failed to verify the performance of the Fukushima plant's 'Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS).' What is ALPS?

On the same day, the IAEA released a final report on Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, stating that "Japan's discharge method meets international standards, and the impact of the discharge on human health and the environment is negligible."

The IAEA also explained that "the contaminated water has had almost all radioactive substances removed, except for tritium, through the ALPS treatment process."

Contaminated Water Tanks at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

The DPK expressed distrust in the IAEA report. The DPK's 'Countermeasures Committee to Prevent the Ocean Discharge of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Contaminated Water' issued a statement on the day, arguing that "the final IAEA report only includes reviews and evaluations of measurement/verification equipment, transfer facilities, dilution facilities, and discharge facilities, but there was no performance verification of the ALPS, which is supposed to purify the nuclear wastewater from Fukushima."

The 'Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)' mentioned by the DPK is abbreviated and commonly called 'Alps.' It stands for 'Advanced Liquid Processing System.'

ALPS is a device similar to a water purifier. Water that comes into contact with fuel debris inside the nuclear facility and contains radioactive substances is generally called 'contaminated water.' Using the 'Advanced Liquid Processing System' and other equipment, the water is purified until it meets regulatory standards for releasing radioactive substances into the environment. This purified water is called 'ALPS-treated water.'

This is why the Japanese government refers to it as 'treated water.' Since November 2016, the Japanese government has formed a subcommittee on contaminated water management, including ALPS, to discuss and review the matter.

Yoshimasa Hayashi (right), Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), held a joint press conference on the 4th in Tokyo, Japan.

Also, the 'tritium' mentioned by the IAEA is a type of hydrogen that emits radiation and is a radioactive substance. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) plans to keep the tritium concentration at the discharge point at 700 becquerels per liter of water, which is significantly lower than the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standard of 10,000 becquerels per liter.

The government has announced that the tritium released through the discharge of contaminated water is not expected to affect health.

On the 15th, Heo Gyunyeong, Chair of the Technical Review Committee of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force (TF) responding to Fukushima contaminated water discharge in Japan, said during a daily briefing, "Even considering uncertainties, it is unlikely that tritium coming through the marine tunnel will reach levels that could affect our health."

Professor Heo, from the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Kyung Hee University, explained, "When a medical X-ray is taken at a hospital, the radiation exposure is about 0.1 mSv. The radiation dose caused by tritium diluted and discharged into the ocean, as planned by the Japanese government and TEPCO, is 0.00003 mSv."

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, stated regarding the tritium contained in the contaminated water Japan plans to discharge, "The IAEA, as well as research institutes worldwide, have tested samples of Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water and all have concluded there is no problem." He added, "Tritium has been discharged from nuclear power plants in China, South Korea, the United States, and many other countries for a long time; this is not a new issue."

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