Planned release of contaminated water from the Fukushima storage tanks into the ocean: Simulation scenarios of radiological impact for aquatic biota and human from seafood consumption

The radiological impact for human and aquatic biota as a result of a planned release of contaminated water stored in tanks near the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant to the Pacific Ocean is assessed. The total activity for 10 dominant radionuclides (3H, 14C, 60Co, 90Sr, 99Tc, 106Ru, 125Sb, 129I, 134Cs, 137Cs) in tanks is estimated. The compartment model POSEIDON-R is applied to compute the concentration of activity for each radionuclide in water, bottom sediments, and biota, and corresponding doses to marine organisms and humans from seafood consumption. Predicted concentrations of activity in marine products in future will not exceed food safety limits in Japan. The computed maximum committed effective dose to humans is less than 1 μSv per year with the highest contribution from 129I and 14C. Maximum absorbed doses to non-human biota are in the order of 0.05 to 20 μGy per year, meaning that no deleterious effects are expected.