August 24th was an unforgettable day for Japan.
This is the day that the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident into the sea began.

I think it is good to have different ideas, but I think it’s very important to first “have you thought about it”.

The simple yet important thing to remember is that this planet has land, oceans and air, which have given birth to a rich diversity of life.
If these are healthy, healthy life will be spun. If the soil is polluted, the sea is polluted, and the air is polluted, healthy life will cease to exist.

What we adults can leave to our children is not money, honor or buildings, but an environment that can sustain life in the future in as healthy form as possible.
If the soil is polluted, the ocean is polluted, and if the ocean is polluted, the rain is polluted which in turn pollutes the atmosphere. This is a cycle that pollutes the atmosphere as well.
That means it affects all life forms on this planet, not just humans and if you think about it, you will understand. Only if you think about it.

It’s below the standard, so it’s okay. International organizations have recognized its safety.
But what is the standard value? Is it safe to make decisions based on human standard values?
If it’s discharged into the ocean, what are the standard values for marine life?

Do the creatures of the sea have any effect on us? It can’t be true, but…
Can we say that it doesn’t matter to us because the impact will not start until a long time from now?

It has been 13 years since the declaration of a nuclear emergency was ever withdrawn.
The work to remove the large amount of radioactive materials that have been exposed and melted down continues to be hazardous, with no end in sight, and flooding and earthquakes continue to occur.
It has even been said that the declaration of a state of emergency will not be withdrawn for 100 years.

This means that radiation-contaminated water will continue to be produced for many years to come.
The radioactive material that is melting down is cooled by pouring water directly on it. The contamination of the water is at a very high level.
The water is treated and called “treated water.
I think the impression that this name gives is also dangerous in a sense.

Tritium is not the only thing in what is called treated water.
210 radionuclides.
Of those, there are about 60 types that can be removed by ALPS (radionuclide removal system)!
Others will remain. Moreover, only 30 types of nuclides are tested when they are released.
And only nine more of them are included in the report.

In the first place, the contaminated water being tested is not being done with water taken from all tanks and besides, radioactive materials other than tritium detected in 70% of the total.

It is estimated that even if we continue to release this contaminated water while diluting it with large amounts of seawater every day, it will take until 2051 to complete the entire process. Not only the contaminated water that has been accumulating for 12 years, new contaminated water will be added every day for decades to come.

However, radioactive materials will weaken over time.
So, it seems that once the contaminated water that has been and will be stored in large tanks, which have experience and a proven track record in oil and natural gas, can be stored for the next 48 years, the radioactive materials will weaken during that time, and we can also buy time to improve technology for treating contaminated water.
I can’t help wondering why this alternative could not be considered.

We must never forget that our country, we Japanese, accepted the decision to discharge the waste into the ocean. Once something is flushed, it can’t be undone.

With a proper focus on the future of our children, health concerns are spreading and environmental destruction is spreading, and the adults who should be responsible for it are dying, still, I want to live the rest of my life well so that I can leave behind a world of hope.

Let us all protect our children.
They are the treasure of this country and this world.

Author ; Mayumi Inoue