Tritium Testing Process Shortened Ahead of Treated Water Release

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:09 JST, August 11, 2023

Radiation testing procedures for fish caught in waters near the crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant will be shortened from six weeks to two days, the Fisheries Agency has announced.

Efforts have been made to improve the efficiency of procedures to test the concentration of tritium in fish ahead of the discharge of treated water from the plant.

Tests will be conducted every day for about a month when the release starts to help eliminate the concerns of fishermen and consumers.

The Marine Ecology Research Institute will conduct the tests at a new facility in Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, which started operations in July.

The institute will test fish in sea areas within a 10-kilometer radius of the nuclear plant with the help of local fishermen.

The institute has tested fish caught off the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture since fiscal 2022.