discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
2023 CE.
Shown on the map at 37.421°, 141.032°.
Radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan began being discharged into the Pacific Ocean on 11 March 2011, following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster triggered by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Three of the plant's reactors experienced meltdowns, leaving behind melted fuel debris. Water was introduced to prevent the meltdowns from progressing further. When cooling water, groundwater, and rain came into contact with the melted fuel debris, they became contaminated with radioactive nuclides, such as iodine-131, caesium-134, caesium-137, and strontium-90. Over 500,000 tonnes of untreated wastewater (including 10,000 tonnes released to free up storage space) escaped into the ocean shortly after the accident. In addition, persistent leakage into groundwater was not admitted by the plant operator until 2013. The radioactivity from these sources exceeded legal limits. Since then, contaminated water has been pumped into storage units and gradually treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to eliminate most radionuclides, except notably tritium with a half-life of 12.32 years, which is chemically bonded to the water.
Text from the Wikipedia article Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.