[디지털비즈온 이호선 기자]  후쿠시마 원전 오염수 방류가 내년 봄에 이루어진다고 일본정부는 공식적으로 발표했다. 앞으로 남은 기한은 이제 7~8개월 불과하다. 그린피스를 비롯하여 국내외 환경단체는“오염수 방류는 인류에게 의료재앙”이라고 표현했다.

일본매체 ‘매일신문’ 은 도쿄전력은 제1원전에서 앞으로 약 1㎞ 지점으로 처리수를 방출하기 위해 해저터널 설치 등 본격적인 공사에 착수한다. 2023년 봄에 방출을 목표로 하고 있다.”고 8월 2일 기사를 실었다.

또한 ‘산케이 디지털’은 8월 2일 기사를 통해 “한·중이 처리수 방출에 대해 '강력한 반대'를 하는 이유는, 일본보다 훨씬 높은 삼중수소 배출량 데이터도 경제적·정치적 장점이 있다고 전문가는 지적한다.” 고 기사 제목으로 달았다.

도쿄공업대 사와다 테츠조 조교(원자핵공학)는 “한·중이 후쿠시마 제1원전의 처리수 방출을 계속 반대하는 이유는 "자국의 장점에 직결되기 때문이다."고 설명했다.

무소속 윤미향 국회의원(비례대표)이 지난 11일(목) 국제 공동성명서 ‘일본 후쿠시마 원전 오염수 해양방류 중단 촉구 공개서한’을 59명의 대한민국 국회의원 연명과 함께 일본 참의원, 중의원, 경제산업성, 외무성에 전달했다고 보도자료를 통해 8월 14일 밝혔다.

공개서한은 미국, 일본 등 세계 각지에서도 함께 했다. ‘일본 후쿠시마 원전 오염수 해양방류 저지를 위한 국제 공동행동’은 미국 샌프란시스코 일본 영사관과 캘리포니아 로스엔젤레스에서 후쿠시마 원전 오염수 방류 계획 철회 촉구 집회를 진행하였다.

집회 이후 핵없는세상을위한맨하탄프로젝트를 포함한 미국, 일본 등의 시민단체 70여 곳과 세계 학자들, 관련국 선출직 공무원 등의 연명을 담은 공개서한을 뉴욕 주재 일본 영사관을 통해 일본 정부에 전달하였다.

공개서한은 ▲일본 정부의 후쿠시마 방사성 오염수 방류 결정 철회 ▲일본 국내 및 국제 사회의 오염수 방류 반대의견 수렴 ▲‘처리수’와 같은 잘못된 표현 사용 중지 ▲저장 탱크 증설과 같은 대안 모색 ▲방사성 물질이 다핵종제거설비(ALPS)로 제거될 수 없다는 사실을 국제사회에 통지 ▲삼중수소의 위험성 인정 ▲오염수에 관련된 모든 정보를 투명하게 공개 ▲정기적 공청회 실시와 농민, 어민, 시민사회 및 전문가의 의사결정 참여 보장 등 총 8가지 요구안을 담고 있다.

위 공개서한은 6‧8 세계 해양의 날을 맞아 기획된 ‘일본 후쿠시마 원전 오염수 해양방류 저지를 위한 국제 공동행동’의 일환으로 시작되었고, 지난 4월 윤미향 의원이 개최한 '일본 후쿠시마 원전 오염수 해양방류 대응 국제포럼' 의 후속연대이기도 하다.

한편, 국회 환경노동위원회 소속 윤미향 의원은 “2019년부터 국민 대다수가 후쿠시마 오염수의 해양방류를 반대해 오고 있지만, 한국 정부는 아직까지도 책임 있는 대응책을 마련하지 못하고 있다" 면서 "일본이 오염수에 관한 핵심정보를 비공개로 일관하며, 우리 국민의 안전과 먹거리를 위협하고 있지만, 오염수 방류저지를 위한 정부차원의 종합대책 마련 역시 지지부진한 상황이다” 고 지난 6월 9일 지적했다.

그러면서 윤의원은 "일본 정부는 미래세대의 목소리에 귀를 기울여야 한다. 이웃나라가 우려하는 원전 오염수를 해양에 방류할 것이 아니라 제대로 된 검증을 통해 모두가 이해할 수 있는 방안을 찾아야 한다." 고 주장했다.

윤미향 의원은 “전 세계로 확산되는 후쿠시마 원전 오염수 방류 저지를 위해서는 국제공조가 절실하다”며 국제 공동성명 취지를 밝혔다. 또한 “원전 오염수 방류는 우리 국민 피해로 직결되는 중대한 사안인 만큼 정부는 원전 오염수 해양방류의 국제법 위반 소지 관련 국제해양법재판소 제소 등 적극적인 대응을 검토해야 할 것”이라고 강조했다.

"일본 후쿠시마 원전 오염수 해양방류 중단 촉구 공개 서한" 영문내용

<AN OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN FROM CONCERNED GROUPS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND SCHOLARS OF THE WORLD>

Dear Prime Minister of Japan and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry,

We, the undersigned, are groups, elected officials, and scholars. We are sending this letter to strongly condemn the decision of the Japanese government to release more than 1.28 million metric tons of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

We are very concerned that Hitachi’s Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) cannot remove all radioactive materials before the dumping, as the Japanese government has repeatedly admitted. The contaminated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi is fundamentally different from the water coming from a nuclear power plant during a regular operation.

The contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi is highly radioactive because it was used to cool the highly radioactive melted core of at least three nuclear reactors of the crippled plant that had meltdowns caused by the loss of cooling capability in March 2011. Due to the ongoing high radiation dose at the facility – as high as 42 Sv/h in a reactor containment vessel that could kill a person instantly in addition to 5150 mSv/h in the reactor buildings - the radioactive water accumulated in the Fukushima Daiichi contains an extremely high level of radioactivity. Radioactive isotopes, such as tritium (H-3) and carbon-14 cannot be isolated from water at all by the ALPS. Radioactive iodine, ruthenium, strontium, and other radioactive isotopes may also remain in the water after being processed by the ALPS.

In April 2021, three independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed deep regret at the decision of Japan in a joint statement, saying that the “decision is particularly disappointing as experts believe alternative solutions to the problem are available.” They expressed their concerns that the dumping of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi “could impact millions of lives and livelihoods in the Pacific region,” and such dumping “imposes considerable risks to the full enjoyment of human rights of concerned populations in and beyond the borders of Japan,” and “reminded Japan of its international obligations to prevent exposure to hazardous substances, to conduct environmental impact assessments of the risks that the discharge of water may have, to prevent transboundary environmental harms, and to protect the marine environment.”

We join international calls for the Japanese government to halt its decision to dump radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. We also request the government to explore alternative safer options of long-term storage at the Fukushima Daiichi or near the site to minimize the health impacts on people and all living things. Such measures will also protect the environment of the Pacific Ocean.

Plans to dilute the radioactive water do not change the quantity of radioactivity that Japan will dump into the Pacific Ocean. Such radioactivity could accumulate in parts of the marine environment and living organisms through bioaccumulation.

We are also concerned about the long-term impacts on the wide Pacific region from the dumping of such a large amount of radioactive water. The Pacific Ocean accounts for a large percentage of the world's fisheries, and many of the communities in the region are dependent on these resources. In addition, many of the states in the Pacific have long suffered from the effects of nuclear testing and illicit dumping of radioactive waste by wealthy nations. We must not forget that these communities have still been living with the threats of remaining contamination exposure, decimated environments, and generational trauma from nuclear testing.

The dumping of radioactive water into the Pacific is also a violation of international law. The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter of 1972 and the London Protocol prohibit dumping of any concentration of radioactive material into the sea.

Fukushima agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and consumer cooperatives strongly oppose the plan of Japan to dump radioactive water into the Pacific. They issued a joint statement regretting that the government has made such an important decision without their consent on April 13, 2021. They emphasized that they will continue to oppose such a decision to the ocean dumping until they were convinced that “not only the fishermen but also the international community and the people of Japan will be able to understand and formulate public opinion in a sincere manner.” According to a survey by Friends of the Earth Japan to fisheries cooperatives in the six prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Chiba, and Tokyo, almost all cooperatives also opposed the idea of ocean dumping.

There are alternative options as solutions suggested by Japanese civil society groups, engineers, and researchers. These alternatives include existing technologies such as building large tanks at the site of TEPCO. We were disappointed to learn that these alternatives and suggestions were not even discussed or taken into account.

We, the undersigned, call on the Japanese government to:

1. Withdraw its plan to release radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi site into the Pacific Ocean.

2. Listen to the firm opposing voices from cooperative organizations of agriculture, forestry, and fishery businesses and consumers in Fukushima, neighboring prefectures, and concerned groups in the international communities.

3. Stop the repeated use of misleading phrases such as “treated water” or “ALPS treated water” to describe the radioactive water processed by the ALPS. Such water still contains a large amount of radioactive tritium (H-3) and carbon-14, in addition to other radioactive isotopes, such as strontium-90 that could accumulate in bones and cause bone cancer and leukemia.

4. Consider and explore alternative options - such as building large tanks using existing technologies - proposed by the local communities and civil society groups as alternative solutions to this grave issue.

5. Understand your responsibility to properly educate the international community that radioactive isotopes such as tritium and carbon-14 from the crippled nuclear power plant cannot be isolated from contaminated water at all by the ALPS or any other known technologies. Such radioactivity will remain in the radioactive water that Japan will dump into the Pacific Ocean for the next 30 to 40 years.

6. Acknowledge that characterization of tritium as harmless is reckless and counter to the science. Tritium is clinically shown to be more effective at damaging and destroying living cells than gamma rays. Numerous studies indicate that tritium can produce typical radiogenic impacts including cancer, genetic effects, developmental abnormalities and reproductive effects. Tritium can cause mutations, tumors and cell death. Studies also indicate that lower doses of tritium can cause more cell death, mutations, and chromosome damage per dose than higher tritium doses.

7. Ensure transparency and protect the right to information by promptly publishing all relevant data and information, both in Japanese and English, regarding the ongoing issues relating to the radioactive water accumulated in the crippled nuclear power plant.

8. Conduct regular public hearings and guarantee the participation of residents, mothers, farmers, fishermen, representatives of civil society groups, and third-party experts independent from the nuclear industry in the decision-making processes related to these issues.

August 11th, 2022

Member of the National Assembly of South Korea