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Wayne Glines, Health Physics News Contributing Editor

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety review has concluded that Japan's plans to release treated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the sea are consistent with IAEA Safety Standards. Japan requested that IAEA conduct a detailed review of the safety-related aspects of the plan. The water has been stored at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and has been treated through an advanced liquid processing system to remove almost all radioactivity, aside from tritium. Before discharging, the water will be diluted to bring the tritium to below regulatory standards. The report is the outcome of nearly two years of work by an IAEA task force made up of top specialists from within the agency advised by international nuclear safety experts from 11 countries. In the report, IAEA said the discharges of the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment. The report can be found on the IAEA website.