At Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. — AFP/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — Japan’s discharge of treated radioactive water into the ocean will not impact Việt Nam’s sea areas.

The message was delivered by Deputy Director of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Saftery under the Ministry of Science and Technology Phạm Văn Toàn at the ministry's regular press conference for the second quarter in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Toàn said that on March 11, 2011, an incident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan due to the impact of an earthquake and tsunami, resulting in a large amount of radioactive wastewater. To handle this waste, Japan's discharge plan has been assessed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and leading nuclear safety experts based on the IAEA's safety standards. The experts come from 11 countries, including Dr. Nguyễn Hào Quang, former Deputy Director of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute.

On July 4, 2023, two years after beginning their investigation, the IAEA officially handed over an assessment report to the Japanese government, concluding that the Japanese government's plan for the discharge of treated wastewater into the sea is consistent with relevant safety standards.

“It should be noted that the total amount of tritium to be released each year in the discharge of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water will be well below the amount of these radionuclides produced by natural processes each year, such as interaction of cosmic rays with gases in the upper atmosphere,” the IAEA report said.

According to the report, the concentration of radioactive substances in the water at a distance of 30km from the planned discharge location is very small compared to the natural background radiation level in the seawater and has almost no significant impact on the marine environment in terms of radiation.

Toàn said it can be seen that the radiation impact from the discharge is negligible to both people and the environment in Japan. Consequently, this activity will not have any impact on Việt Nam's sea areas.

He reiterated the statement made by Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Phạm Thu Hằng in a recent regular press conference that Việt Nam supports the development of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. Việt Nam believes that the responsibility for ensuring nuclear safety and security lies with the countries using atomic energy. At the same time, Việt Nam suggests the need for close international cooperation, transparency in sharing information, responsible behaviour, and compliance with international law in the event of an incident. – VNS