IAEA confirms tritium levels below Japan's operational limit in recent treated water release from Fukushima
5 March 2024
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts have confirmed that the tritium concentration in the fourth batch of diluted ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated water, which Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has begun discharging from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP, is far below the Japan’s operational limit.
Experts stationed at the IAEA’s office at the Fukushima site took samples after the treated water was diluted with seawater in the discharge facilities. The IAEA’s independent on-site analysis confirmed that the tritium concentration is far below the operational limit of 1,500 becquerels per litre.
Japan is discharging the ALPS treated water from the Fukushima in batches. The previous three batches – a total of 23,400 cubic metres of water – were also confirmed by the IAEA to have contained tritium concentrations far below operational limits.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will visit Japan later in March to review the status of the water discharge, as part of his commitment to be there before, during and after the discharge that began in August last year.
The IAEA’s comprehensive report issued in July 2023 found Japan’s plan for handling the treated water to be consistent with international safety standards and that the release as planned would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment.
Image courtesy of IAEA
