SEOUL — Vice Oceans Minister Park Sung-hoon announced on Thursday that South Korea aims to develop testing methods to measure tritium levels in seafood by the end of this year. The announcement comes amid rising concerns regarding Japan’s release of wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Yonhap News Agency reports that the government intends to set standards for tritium and enhance the testing of its levels in seafood. “The plan is to reassure the public so that they can consume seafood without concern,” said Park Sung-hoon during a regular press briefing. Tritium is radioactive and unstable, and while it occurs naturally, it is also produced as a byproduct of nuclear reactors. Consumption of tritium in extremely large quantities is linked to an elevated risk of cancer.
Currently, there are no international standards for testing tritium levels in seafood, which makes the development of localized methods crucial. Park added that the government is conducting ongoing tests on ocean waters and asserted that local waters are being managed safely.
Earlier this month, Japan initiated the second phase of releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean, following the first phase that met established safety limits from August 24 to September 11.