Domestic Expert: "It Would Take 600 Billion Years for Contaminated Water to Reach Korea"

People Power Party's 'Fukushima Nuclear Wastewater National Debate'
"No Domestic Impact Even if Contaminated Water Is Released"

Nuclear experts have claimed that if contaminated water from Fukushima, Japan, is discharged into the ocean, it would take 600 billion years for domestic fishermen to be exposed to the safe radiation dose limit of 1 mSv (millisievert) per year. This means that the impact of Fukushima's contaminated water discharge on South Korea is almost negligible.

Experts participating as panelists at the "National Public Debate on Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Contaminated Water" held on the 5th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, hosted by Park Soo-young, a member of the People Power Party and head of the Yeouido Research Institute think tank, provided this explanation.

Kang Geon-wook, a professor of nuclear medicine at Seoul National University Hospital, stated, "I administer radioactive materials to patients for diagnosis or treatment. Typically, the amount administered for treatment is 7 billion Bq (becquerels), and for general diagnostic dementia or cancer cases, it is 100 million Bq." He added, "The tritium in Fukushima's (contaminated water) is 1,500 Bq. In fact, it is insignificant."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Professor Kang further explained that it would take 600 billion years for Korean citizens to be exposed to the annual dose limit of 1 mSv if Fukushima's contaminated water were discharged. He said, "If our fishermen lived and were exposed for 600 billion years, they would reach 1 mSv," and questioned, "Is there anyone in our country who lives for 600 billion years?" He emphasized, "Many ask if it is dangerous for children, but is there a child who lives for 60 billion years?"

Park Sang-duk, senior research fellow at the Seoul National University Nuclear Policy Center, classified the water at Fukushima into three types. He distinguished between 'contaminated water,' which is groundwater passing through the nuclear plant, 'contaminated treated water' that has gone through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), and 'diluted contaminated treated water.'

Park explained, "This discharged water is diluted to 1/40th of Japan's standard of 60,000 Bq per liter for tritium, resulting in 1,500 Bq," and introduced, "Since the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standard is 10,000 Bq, scientists continue to say it is below the drinking water standard." He added, "Since it is drinking water, it can be consumed," but clarified, "When you go to the bathroom, there is a sink and a toilet, and although both use water, no one deliberately washes their hands with toilet water. Such irrational behavior does not occur."

The debate was conducted in a format where citizens, including university students and office workers, directly asked questions to the experts and received answers. When university student Kim Geon asked, "Why was the method of discharge chosen? Are there no better alternatives?" Park replied, "There are other methods besides discharge. What we need to consider here are safety and economic feasibility. Even if discharged as is, there is no problem. If there is no safety issue, why choose a more expensive alternative? This is science."

Jeong Dae-sung, a Korean-Japanese cultural columnist for World Korean, added, "Methods such as releasing it as steam into the air were considered, but they require enormous energy, making them economically unfeasible. Also, alternatives like transporting it to deep ocean trenches and dropping it there were examined, but these also incur high transportation costs."

In response to the question, "Is there no need to worry about the panic buying of 천일염 (Cheonil salt)?", Professor Kang explained, "When we drink bottled water, it would take 60 billion years to reach a meaningful level. However, the water content in Cheonil salt is extremely minimal, so even if you consume Cheonil salt for 6 trillion years, it is safe."

At the closing remarks of the debate, Lee Gap-san, chairman of the Pan-Civil Society Coalition, which co-hosted the event, proposed to both ruling and opposition parties the establishment of a "Permanent National Monitoring Committee for Radiation Contamination Measurement." Lee said, "Let us work on measuring and informing the public in real-time about radiation contamination levels in major areas of the East Sea, West Sea, and South Sea, just like weather forecasts."

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