Taiwan has a system in place to protect the public from radioactive ocean contamination, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said, as Japan moves closer to dumping wastewater from the derelict Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
The Japanese government in January said that it would in the spring or summer discharge 1.47 million tonnes of water that was contaminated by tritium following a partial meltdown at the plant in 2011.
Although Tokyo said the wastewater had been rendered safe, other countries in the region have protested the decision, citing fears that radioactive contamination could harm fisheries.
Photo: Reuters
The AEC on Saturday said that it has been tracking radioactive particles in seafood and the ocean since 2011, when a multiagency program was launched to protect the public from tritium pollution.
The council examined sand and water samples from Taiwan’s surrounding seas semi-annually or seasonally, while catches of fish were inspected to establish a baseline for the substance in living organisms, it said.
The potential spread of tritium was simulated by models created at other agencies, it said.
Participation from the coast guard and fishers is helping the program reach its aim of collecting 352 seawater samples, 240 catches and 100 imported seafood shipments this year, it added.
The measurements would help develop a color-coded scheme for marine radioactive risk, said Lin Chen-hsuan (林貞絢), a senior technical specialist at the council’s Radiation Protection Department.
The council’s safety limit for tritium in seawater — 1,000 becquerel per liter — is 10 times lower than the international standard for potable water, she said.
Computer simulations have shown that the bulk of the tritium would likely drift away from Taiwanese waters, Central Weather Bureau researcher Deng Ren-hsin (鄧仁星) said.
The models show that 86.9 percent of the substance would be carried east by marine currents and 12.82 percent would move south, while about 0.28 percent would settle in waters surrounding Taiwan, he said.
Northeastern seasonal winds that prevail from October to April are likely to create tritium-bearing surface currents that would arrive in Taiwan within 12 to 18 months following the discharge, he said.
The Fisheries Agency is implementing a system to measure tritium levels in select species of fish in different parts of the sea to safeguard consumers, the agency said.
Tritium is not a substance currently being measured due to the technical difficulties involved in its detection, said Liao Chia-ding, chief of the Food Division at the Food and Drug Administration.
The agency has inspected 220,000 imported food items from Japan and found minor traces of radiation in only 248 items, which were destroyed or returned, he said.
The AEC “deserves credit” for using a stricter tritium standard than the rest of the world, Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan CEO Tsai Chung-yueh (蔡中岳) said.
However, fishing operations in severely affected areas should be ceased altogether, he said.
Additional reporting by Chen Hsin-yu and Yang Yuan-ting
‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
DEROGATORY: WTO host Cameroon’s designation of Taiwan as a ‘province of China’ seriously undermines the nation’s status and rights as a WTO member, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Cameroon for listing Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China” in visa documents for an upcoming WTO ministerial conference, a move that led to Taiwan’s withdrawal from the event. The designation “seriously undermined” Taiwan’s status and rights as a WTO member, the ministry said in a statement. It is the first time since 2001 that Taiwan has declined to attend a WTO Ministerial Conference. The conference is scheduled to take place from Thursday to Sunday next week in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Taiwan had planned to send a delegation led by Minister Without Portfolio
RSS