#AceWorldNews – TOKYO – May 21 – Workers of Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi (Fukushima 1) nuclear power plant have started dumping ground waters into the Pacific ocean, the NPP operator – Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) reported on Wednesday.
Representative of the company say the dump will do the environment no harm.
According to a report carried out by EPA: Water Discharges Heavy metals and salts build up in the water used in all power plant systems, including nuclear ones.
These water pollutants, as well as the higher temperature of the water discharged from the power plant, can negatively affect water quality and aquatic life.
Nuclear power plants sometimes discharge small amounts of tritium and other radioactive elements as allowed by their individual waste-water permits.
Waste generated from uranium mining operations and rainwater run off can contaminate groundwater and surface water resources with heavy metals and traces of radioactive uranium.
Accumulation of radioactive ground waters under the NPP is one of the main problems for the clean-up workers at Fukushima.
To pervent it, TEPCO plans by 2015 to create an artificial layer of permanent frost around the power plant and slowly drain the accumulated water.
However, some experts have expressed scepticism regarding the plan.
Ace Related News:
1. EPA – Report – 22/10/13 – PDF http://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/brc/20120620220235/http://brc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/brc_finalreport_jan2012.pdf