VOA慢速英语2023--Japan to Release Wastewater from Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Japan to Release Wastewater from Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, signed off Tuesday on his country's plan to release treated and diluted¹ radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant later this week.

If weather and sea conditions are good, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, or TEPCO, will start to release the water into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday.

The water release is an important part of the process of cleaning up the plant, which was damaged by a disastrous² earthquake and tsunami³ on March 11, 2011. A tsunami is a large ocean wave created by the movement of the land under the ocean.

The wave destroyed the power center's cooling systems and caused three of the plant's nuclear reactors⁴ to overheat, or meltdown. The result was contaminated cooling water that has been treated and stored for over 10 years.

The prime minister said everything has been done to ensure the plan's safety and to protect Japan's fishing industry. He said the government will continue to explain the plan's science until the cleanup is completed many decades from now. A decade is a period of 10 years.

Kishida said, "The government will take responsibility until the disposal of the...treated water is completed."

The government of South Korea said it understands the plan and it will hold Japan to its promises to supervise the safety of the water. South Korea agreed to support Japan's plan even with protests by lawmakers and activists⁵.

Other East Asian nations, however, are not pleased with the plan to release the water. China said it will increase radiation testing on fish imported from Japan.

Japanese fishing organizations protested the plan partly because they are worried about being able to sell their catch.

But TEPCO says about 1,000 storage tanks which have held the contaminated water since the disaster of 2011 are now almost full. The company is also concerned about possible leaks. So, the treated water must be released.

Junichi Matsumoto is the TEPCO leader in charge of the water release. In an interview with the Associated Press last month, he said the release is "a milestone⁶" but there is still a lot of work to do to close down the plant.

TEPCO will start by releasing 7,800 tons of water over the first 17 days. All of it will be diluted with seawater to reach safe levels of radiation. By March 2024, TEPCO plans to release over 31,000 tons of water. However, that equals only 10 of the 1,000 storage tanks. The speed of the release will increase over time.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in July that Japan's release plan will have almost no effect on human health or the environment.

Rafael Grossi is the director general of the IAEA. He said the United Nations office at the plant will remain open to monitor the water as it is released.

Most scientists agree with the IAEA, but they said the slow release of radioactive water, even at very low levels, needs attention.

Japan's government is continuing to explain the plan in nearby countries so that the release does not damage diplomatic communication. TEPCO is also considering accepting responsibility for the financial losses of the Japanese seafood⁷ industry because of restrictions⁸ placed on its products by other countries and extra testing requirements by China.

Words in This Story

diluted –adj. reduced in strength or concentration

contaminated –adj. containing something that isn't supposed to be there

milestone –n. an important point in the development of a project

 

monitor –v. to observe carefully over a period of time

1 diluted   

无力的，冲淡的

参考例句：

• The paint can be diluted with water to make a lighter shade. 这颜料可用水稀释以使色度淡一些。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields. 这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

2 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

3 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

4 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

7 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制