Nuclear contaminated water and nuclear wastewater

Column: What's the water

Theme: Nuclear contaminated water and nuclear wastewater

Columnist: Tenposon

On August 24th, the Japanese government announced the release of nuclear contaminated water, which angered many online friends

But we still need to think about how we should view this closely related news from the essence of the event

However, in this article, we do not discuss positions, only practical topics

After all, human energy cannot be separated from the cheap electricity provided by nuclear power plants

Both nuclear wastewater and nuclear contaminated water have been treated through currently known filtration methods

The radioactive element that cannot be effectively treated is tritium

I believe everyone who has attended elementary school has learned that the molecular formula of water is H2O

And tritium can replace H in the molecular formula, which means that tritium is present in the molecular world

It can be dissolved in gas, hidden in water, and even more hidden in the food chain

It turns into a weak molecule after a half-life of 12 years.

However, to our knowledge, both nuclear wastewater and nuclear contaminated water actually contain tritium molecules and carbon-14 inside

The difference lies only in the size of the quantity.

And currently, all known nuclear power plants in the world discharge nuclear wastewater into the ocean (which is the most disappointing thing for the public)

After all, as we mentioned earlier, if you try to understand nuclear power plants, you will eventually feel very helpless

However, there is currently no relevant verification statement that these nuclear wastewater or treated nuclear contaminated water meet the standards of nuclear wastewater

What exactly is the impact of emissions into the ocean on the environment (as it takes decades or even a generation to study)

We also need to pay attention to these environmentally damaging practices, but we need to spend some time understanding the sources of these pollutants

The above figure shows the location of the unit with the highest global nuclear power plant emissions, as shown by netizen Zhang from a domestic forum

(Once again, this article does not involve a position)

Even before the emergence of this statistical table, Europe had already begun to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea or air in 1950

But the most questionable aspect of Japan's approach this time is whether the nuclear contaminated water treated with ALPA technology fully meets the standards for nuclear wastewater

This point is not discussed in more detail as it involves too many issues

Just for the Earth environment we rely on for our livelihood, we know the electricity we need to survive

Currently, the most cost-effective option is electricity from nuclear power plants

And nuclear power plants will inevitably produce nuclear waste, and there is currently no completely harmless technology for the disposal of nuclear waste for human use

There are also no relevant scientists to guide conferences around the world on whether to reduce the number of nuclear power plants or emissions

That is to say, pollutants are certain to exist, and pollutants entering the Earth's cycle are also certain. However, the degree of pollution and destruction require more knowledge and organization to inform people of this information, so that the general public can find ways to contribute to it

Afterwards, in August 23, Japan decided to discharge nuclear contaminated water. We can criticize these decisions from an environmental standpoint

But more importantly, we need to think about what impact these pollutants will have on us in the future

How can we effectively improve our protection in our living environment

Environmental protection always conflicts with certain issues, but some people still need to pay attention to it because there is only one Earth!