LETTER TO THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST:
I thought the Hong Kong government worked on the the principle of "follow the science" not ill-defined precautionary principles such as "Erring on the side of caution is always wise..." (Hong Kong action against Japan seafood must persist, 6 October).
I am not a nuclear scientist, but neither is our Environment Minister Tse Chin-wan, a career civil servant.
Nevertheless I am able to find out The Science on the Fukushima nuclear waste water release issue, because I know how to operate the internet.
There is plenty of information out there proving that it is perfectly safe to release Fukishima water that has been treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A handy summary is by the physicist and nuclear engineer Elina Charatsidou (here)
Key points:
- The only radioactive item left in the treated water is Tritium. Which is less dangerous than the potassium we get from bananas. Essentially it's Hydrogen, indistinguishable in water, and not dangerous to humans.
- You would receive over 21,000 times more Tritium radiation from walking the streets of Tokyo for a year, than you would by immersing yourself in the waste water for a year.
- France releases waste nuclear water with nearly 500 times the amount Tritium as will Fukushima. China, the UK, Canada and Korea all release more Tritium water than will be released by Fukushima and have been doing so for decades. We hear nothing of them; because it's safe.
- The amount of Tritium in the Fukushima waste water is one-seventh of the WHO standards for drinking water.
I'm sure Chinese and Hong Hong officials know all this.
Therefore the continued ban on Japanese seafood is not for an abundance of safety but for political reasons. To punish Japan for policies seen by Beijing as anti-China. Very well, I get that. But please be honest about it. Don't try to fool us that it's simply about "erring on the side of caution".
That's nonsense which anyone with an internet account can confirm.
Peter Forsythe
9308 0799
Discovery Bay
Hong Kong
