American biologists are concerned that the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea will have long-term impacts on the Earth's food chain. Recently | Earth | Fukushima
International Online Report: Japan's Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan continues to attract international attention. Recently, American biologist Timothy Musso, who has been studying the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident for many years, stated in an interview with CCTV reporters that even treated nuclear contaminated water can carry radioactive elements such as tritium that cannot be eliminated, which will have a long-term impact on the Earth's food chain. He also expressed disappointment at the hasty decision made by the Japanese government to discharge contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear power into the sea.
Timothy Mussot is a biology professor at the University of South Carolina in the United States, who has previously studied the changes in animal genes in the surrounding environment after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident for many years. In response to the Japanese government's plan to discharge Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea, Musuo warned that even if the water is treated with a de nuclide system, it can only dilute the radioactive element "tritium" and has no effect on removal. Once tritium elements combine with organic tissues in organisms, they will accumulate within the organism and have a profound impact on the entire food chain in the long term.
Timothy Musseau: "The presence of tritium will lead to the gradual accumulation of nuclides in the food chain. Even if the tritium content in the treated water discharged into the sea is very low, once it is combined with organic matter to accumulate and amplify, the tritium content in the top species of the food chain will significantly increase, such as predatory fish in the ocean."
Musuo emphasized that existing research on the damage of "tritium" to organisms is still limited to laboratory environments and has not yet taken into account the actual situation in nature. Therefore, once Fukushima nuclear contaminated water is discharged into the sea, the damage of radioactive elements such as "tritium" to nature and marine biological systems will be a new issue that humans will face in the long term.
Regarding the credibility of the "multi nuclide processing system" adopted by the Japanese government, Musuo stated that the current relevant reports and data have not been rigorously certified by third parties, which is not enough to convince the scientific community and relevant experts. It is also inevitable to cause protests from the public, including Japanese fishermen, and the international community.
Timothy Musseau: "I think a serious issue is that the results of the" multi nuclide treatment system "have not been independently and authoritatively certified. These reports and data, which have not been verified by external institutions, have caused widespread concern in the international community about the nuclide composition and proportion of wastewater in other large storage tanks."
In response to the report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency in early July stating that the treated Fukushima nuclear contaminated water has met international safety standards, Musuo stated that the relevant report from the International Atomic Energy Agency is equivalent to giving a green light to the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan. Despite strong opposition from the international community, it seems that this process is irreversible. He felt very disappointed with this hasty decision.
Timothy Musseau: "My biggest disappointment with the entire incident is that, in response to this nuclear disaster, there was an extreme lack of scientific research investment and a hasty decision to discharge the contaminated water into the sea."
Musuo believes that 12 years have passed since the 2011 East Japan earthquake, and the Japanese government should have had enough time to study and prepare for the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, rather than being unable to continue storing nuclear contaminated water and having to discharge it into the sea.
Timothy Musseau: "Basic scientific research is too lacking to warn about the long-term effects of nuclear contaminated water being discharged into the sea. What I want to criticize is that the relevant institutions seem to be blind, or very short-sighted, and do not pay enough attention to scientific research on the dangers of nuclear contaminated water being discharged into the sea, resulting in such a serious problem now. It has been more than 10 years since the earthquake, but there has been too little research on potential hazards."
