The 76th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization, WHO, concluded today in Geneva, Switzerland, local time. This is an annual meeting where delegates from all WHO member states attend to discuss various health agendas.
A Japanese delegate at the meeting, answering questions from China and Russia, mentions the issue of Fukushima contaminated water.
Using the term “treated water,” Japan says it has been dealing with the issue transparently and based on scientific evidence, including the IAEA’s analytical procedures.
[Japan delegate/76th World Health Assembly].
“Since February of last year, IAEA experts, including those from Russia and China, have been conducting scientific analyses of treated water that has undergone the ALPS (Advanced Laboratory for Polynuclear Species Removal) procedure토토사이트.”
The Chinese delegate who began speaking then openly questions Japan’s plan to discharge Fukushima contaminated water into the ocean.
[Chinese delegate/speech at the 76th World Health Assembly (on-site interpretation)]
“If the Fukushima ‘nuclear contaminated water’ is really safe, why doesn’t Japan use it for drinking water, agricultural water, industrial water, and discharge it into its own lakes? Japan must give a responsible explanation for this.”
If the Fukushima contaminated water is so safe, “why doesn’t Japan discharge it into its own lakes?” the Chinese delegate asked.
“Is discharging contaminated water into the sea the only option?” the Chinese delegate asked, pointing out that “it saves them money, but it’s a disaster for the whole world.”
“What is Japan’s intention in discharging polluted water into the sea when it knows it is harmful,” he said, adding that “any act that harms the common interests of mankind for the sake of its own short-term interests must be strictly condemned and firmly rejected.”
“The Pacific Ocean is not a sewer for Japan to dump its nuclear contaminated water into,” he emphasized.
“We once again call on Japan to deal with the contaminated water in the safest way possible, after full negotiation with stakeholders and international organizations, including its neighbors, and subject to strict international supervision,” the Chinese representative said.
These remarks were published on the WHO’s website, and Chinese media outlets such as Xinhua reported on the Chinese representative’s comments.