Fukushima tritiated water release -- what is the polemic all about?

Abstract

A mere amount of 2.2 grams of tritium (780 TBq), diluted in 1.25 million m$^3$ water, contained in 1047 tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are being released to the Pacific ocean. The operation is scheduled to last over 30 years, with never more than releasing 61 mg (22 TBq) of tritium annually. The outcry in the world's press and the world's population is huge and countries like China are protesting aloud and are even banning Japanese seafood being sold in their domestic market. The outcry is real, the perceived fears are real, the havoc created on the Japanese fish market is real, but the danger is non-existing. The panic results from over-regulations initiated by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and similar bodies world-wide, prohibiting a reliable assessment of dangers and are thereby also preventing a solid risk analysis of real dangers.