A team of experts from the U.N. nuclear agency conducted an inspection of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan to review its discharge of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific. This inspection was part of a four-day visit that began on Tuesday, marking the second visit since the water discharge began last August. Despite protests from fishing groups and neighboring China, the Japanese government and the plant operator, TEPCO, claim that the discharges meet international standards. The IAEA team will issue a report based on their findings from the inspection.
During the site visit on Wednesday, the Fukushima plant experienced a temporary blackout due to damage to an electrical cable caused by underground digging. This halt in operations lasted several hours, but the IAEA was able to complete its inspection. One excavation worker suffered burns and required hospital treatment, but the cooling systems of the plant were unaffected, and water discharge resumed safely later in the evening. The IAEA did not immediately comment on the blackout incident.
Following the plant visit, the IAEA team members are expected to engage in further discussions in Tokyo until Friday. Data and samples collected from the Fukushima plant will be analyzed at IAEA labs as well as independent third-party labs from countries such as China, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States. The results will be consolidated in a report that will be released later to provide a comprehensive assessment of the situation.
The Japanese government and TEPCO emphasize that the treated water being discharged is filtered and diluted with seawater in large amounts. Monitoring results of seawater and marine life samples near the plant indicate that concentrations of tritium, the only inseparable radioactive material, are well below recommended limits. However, fishing groups express concern over potential negative repercussions from the release, and neighboring China remains skeptical about the safety of the discharged water, leading to a ban on Japanese seafood imports.
The Fukushima plant has released approximately 31,200 tons of treated water in four batches, with the ongoing fifth batch releasing 7,800 tons and scheduled to last until May 7. Incidents at the plant in recent months, such as the cable damage and blackout on Wednesday, have raised further concerns. In October, two workers were hospitalized after being exposed to radioactive liquid while cleaning a water treatment system, though they did not experience any health problems. In February, contaminated water leaked at another facility on the plant due to human error. The series of incidents underscores the challenges faced in the ongoing cleanup and management of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
