"Japan: UN experts say deeply disappointed by decision to discharge Fukushima water", 15 Apr 2021

UN human rights experts* today expressed deep regret at Japan’s decision to release contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, saying the discharge could impact millions of lives and livelihoods in the Pacific region.

“The release of one million tonnes of contaminated water into the marine environment imposes considerable risks to the full enjoyment of human rights of concerned populations in and beyond the borders of Japan,” the independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council said.

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UN experts have voiced their concerns to the Japanese Government about the potential threats to human health and the environment resulting from the discharge of radioactive water to the Pacific Ocean.

The experts said the water may contain quantities of radioactive carbon-14, as well as other radioactive isotopes including strontium-90 and tritium. In correspondence with the experts, the Japanese Government suggested that the treated water stored in the tanks was not contaminated.

The experts said that the water processing technology known as ALPS had failed to completely remove radioactive concentrations in most of the contaminated water stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

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