A nuclear physicist says there is no need to be concerned about Japan's slow release of more than 1 million metric tonnes of treated radioactive water over 30 years.
Japan plans to release the treated wastewater from the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant on Thursday, which has come with a raft of criticism from many Pacific nations.
The water will initially be released in smaller portions and with extra checks, with the first discharge totalling 7800 cubic metres over about 17 days starting Thursday.
That water will contain about 190 becquerels of tritium per litre, below the World Health Organisation drinking water limit of 10,000 becquerels per litre, according to Tepco. A becquerel is a unit of radioactivity.
Japan has said the water release is safe. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, greenlit the plan in July, saying it met international standards and the impact it would have on people and the environment was "negligible".
University of Auckland Nuclear Physicist David Krofcheck told AM's Ryan Bridge there is no need to "be concerned about the water".
Krofcheck told AM 25 percent of the water has been filtered from cancer-causing nuclei and what's left is tritium - a form of water that will be diluted down to sea-level concentrations.
When asked if Krofcheck would swim next to the power plant, he said yes.
"I would swim in that water. It's going to be essentially seawater once… after it's been filtered," he said.
For those who are concerned about the treated water reaching Aotearoa, Krofcheck said it's very difficult for ocean currents to cross the equator, and if or when it does reach New Zealand "it'll be extremely diluted".
"Some of the water may eventually make it to New Zealand, but it's not going to be a problem at all for us."
How the world reacted
Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono told Newshub Late not all factors have been considered by Japan.
He said it's all well to greenlight "this, that and the other", but he says Japan has not done an environmental impact assessment.
"This is going to move right around the Pacific and that hasn't I think been adequately addressed."
Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Macau - both Chinese-ruled regions - said they will implement a ban on Japanese seafood from regions including the capital Tokyo and Fukushima starting Thursday. China will also take necessary measures to protect the marine environment, food safety and public health, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has called the move "extremely selfish". He said China was deeply concerned about the decision and had lodged a formal complaint.
South Korea isn't happy either. Protests have kicked off around the country against the decision.
Local Governments in South Korea have signalled they would ramp up radiation testing over seafood to ease the concerns of consumers.
Watch the video above for more.
