Tag Archives: Physics

Viral Video Proves Japanese Food Is Radioactive?!

Were Japanese food products proven to be highly radioactive in a viral video?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-10-27 : Added new version, and other updates
Originally posted @ 2023-07-16

Claim : Viral Video Proves Japanese Food Is Highly Radioactive!

People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, TikTok and social media platforms, which claims to prove that Japanese food products are highly radioactive!

In the video, a man explains in Cantonese how he tested the radioactivity level of a Japanese food product, and found that it was highly radioactive.

The radiation of Japanese products exceeds the standard. Please note the video instructions above.

日本产品辐射超标。请注意上面的视频说明

Japanese foodstuffs full of radiation.

Japan has d very toxic nuclear radiation waters to be release or partially released already… be aware…fr d FUKUSHIMA Nuclear plant.

This video is also being promoted by pro-CCP netizens, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

Truth : Video Does Not Prove Japanese Food Is Radioactive At All!

This is yet another example of FAKE VIDEOS circulating on WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : The Viral Video Is Several Months Old

Let me just start by pointing out that the viral video is several months old, coming to our attention in the middle of July 2023. The video was certainly recorded and distributed on WhatsApp, TikTok and other social media platforms in early July, if not earlier.

At that time, Japan had not yet released treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power station into the Pacific Ocean. So it is impossible for the video to show radioactive food caused by the release of Fukushima nuclear plant’s treated water.

The Fukushima Nuclear Power Station (NPS) only started releasing its ALPS-treated and diluted water into the sea on the afternoon of Thursday, 24 August 2023 – about 6 weeks after the video first went viral on WhatsApp and social media platforms.

Fact #2 : The Viral Messages Are Misleading

The viral English and Chinese messages tied to this video are misleading. The man in the video never once mentioned that this food product was from Fukushima, or mentioned the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

With help from Yuh Hui and Adrian Tung, here is the English translation of what the man actually said in the viral video:

This is a radiation monitoring device.

Now, there is Japanese food that I placed on a bench over there. Now, I will walk towards it, and see how much radiation it has.

As I approach the Japanese food, the radiation reading goes up. Now, I place the device here (on the food). See how the radiation reading is very high. This is food from Japan.

See how the device gives a “beep beep” sound, and the screen turns red. The radiation reading is more than 400.

If you ever go to Japan, try not to eat the food there, or buy any food souvenirs for your relatives and friends. It will be terrible if they get radiation poisoning!

This food was given to me by a friend who bought it from Japan. I’m not going to eat it. I will accept it and will throw it away later.

Fact #3 : That Was An EMF Meter, Not A Geiger Counter

The man claimed in the viral video that he was using a radiation monitoring device. The truth is – he was just the ST1393 EMF Meter, which anyone can buy from Amazon for just $31.39. Here are other purchase options :

The ST1393 EMF meter is designed to detect and measure the electromagnetic radiation produced by magnetic and electric fields. It is not designed to detect nuclear radiation like alpha and beta particles, as well as gamma rays.

To detect ionising radiation from nuclear sources, he needs to use a Geiger counter, not an EMF meter.

As the manufacturer advertises, the ST1393 EMF testers is used to detect “electric field radiation” and “magnetic field emission” from mobile phones, hair dryer, computer, TV, printer, etc. It does NOT detect nuclear radiation!

Fact #3 : EMF Meter Likely Measured Static Electricity

In the video, the EMF meter was seen registering between 292 V/m and 441 V/m. That was the measurement of a static electric field, not nuclear radiation.

If you look closely, the meter says the unit is V/m (volts per meter), and the type is Electric Field. Nuclear radiation is measured in units like Becquerel (Bq) or Curie (Ci) or Sievert (Sv) or Rem (One Sv = 100 rem).

The EMF meter was very likely measuring the static electricity on the Japanese food product’s plastic polymer packaging. If the man tests other plastic packaging, he would likely register similar levels of static electricity.

In case you are worried about the “high” static electricity produced by Japanese food packaging, here are some common static electricity levels:

Natural electric field in atmosphere : 100 V/m
Electric field during thunderstorms : Up to several thousand V/m
Walking on non-conducting carpets : Up to 500,000 V/m
High voltage DC power lines : Up to 20,0000 V/m
Inside DC-powered electric trains : Up to 300 V/m

In other words – you do NOT need to worry about a few hundred volts per meter of static electricity!

Fact #4 : Induction Cooker Not Source Of Electric Field

Some sharp-eyed folks have pointed out that the man placed the Japanese food item on an induction cooker, and posited that the increase in electric field “radiation” was due to EM radiation from the induction cooker.

I have to point out that while it appears to be an induction cooker, it could potentially be a radiant cooker which come in similar designs, with a black glass top. You can only tell them apart when they are operating – the radiant cooker’s heating element will glow red, while induction cookers won’t.

In any case, an induction cooker works by inducing an electromagnetic field to transfer energy to a magnetic pan / pot. So the EMF meter should have registered a magnetic field as well.

Since the video showed no magnetic field, the induction cooker was not powered and would not have affected the results.

Fact #4 : EM Radiation Is Not Nuclear Radiation

Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is a form of radiation, but it is not the same as nuclear radiation.

EM radiation is wide-ranging, and includes everything from visible light to radio waves, microwaves, infrared to X-rays. It is emitted by everything from the sun to computers and smartphones.

Nuclear radiation, on the other hand, consists mainly of Alpha particles, Beta particles, and Gamma rays, that are produced as a result of a nuclear reaction, or radioactive decay.

It is like comparing bicycles with cars. They are both vehicles (radiation), but a bicycle (electromagnetic radiation) is different from a car (nuclear radiation). Getting hit by a bicycle is also very different than getting hit by a car!

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Yasuhiro Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

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Did former Japanese MP Yasuhiro Sonoda die from cancer, after drinking treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power station?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-17 : Some minor updates.
Updated @ 2023-09-13 : Added new fact check video, and other minor updates.
Updated @ 2023-09-10 : Updated article with proof Yasuhiro Sonoda is still alive!
Originally posted @ 2023-09-01

Claim : Yasuhiro Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water!

People are sharing videos and photos of Yasuhiro Sonoda drinking ALPS-filtered water from the Fukushima nuclear power station in WhatsApp groups and social media, claiming that the former Japanese MP eventually died from cancer!

How is Yasuhiro Sonoda, a Japanese official who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago, now? Why did he disappear?

At the end of October 2011, Yasuhiro Sonoda, the then Japanese cabinet minister, poured half a glass of water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in front of media reporters in order to prove that the treated Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water was “drinkable and no problem”. The treated nuclear-contaminated water of Units 5 and 6 was “drinked twice.”

In December 2014, Yasuhiro Sonoda’s social platform stopped updating; in June 2015 , Sonoda Yasuhiro announced his retirement; at the beginning of 2018, Japanese media said that Sonoda Yasuhiro had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma; in August 2020, Sonoda Yasuhiro died of illness in Melekeok, the capital of Palau.

JERRY GOODE : 🚨☢️ 🇯🇵: Japan MP Yasuhiro Sonoda’s hands shook as he downed a glass of Fukushima Nuclear Contaminated Water in front of reporters and cameras. NOW HE IS MISSING! What happened to him?💀

Finally solved the case, Yasuhiro Sonoda is dead, died of multiple myeloma in 2020.

In June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda announced his retirement.
Early 2018. Due to physical discomfort, got checked up in Japan, and diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
At the end of 2018, he received treatment at MIT Medical School in the United States, but failed.
At the end of 2019, he went to Palau to recuperate (waiting to die).
In August 2020, he died in Melekeok, the capital of Palau, due to multiple myeloma and his whole body decomposed.

终于破案了，园田康博已死，死于 2020年，死手多发性骨髓瘤。

2015年6月，园田康博宣布引退。
2018 年初。因身体不适。在日本接受检查。
确诊多发性骨髓瘤。
2018 年末，在美国麻省理工医学院接受治疗
无效。
2019 年末，来到帕劳疗养（等死）。
2020年8月，死于帕劳首都梅莱凯奥克，因多发性骨髓瘤，全身身体腐烂而亡。

INF.News : …many years later, the Health Bureau of the Republic of Palau announced a regrettable news: Yasuhiro Sonoda passed away in Palau in 2020 due to his body gradually decomposing due to multiple myeloma.

Why did the Republic of Palau choose to announce such news at such a critical time when Japan discharged nuclear wastewater into the sea? The answer is actually quite simple: Protest.

The Republic of Palau chose to announce the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda at this critical moment, not only to express their dissatisfaction with the Japanese government, but also to alert the global community to the risks associated with nuclear energy.

Show less

Truth : Yasuhiro Sonoda Did Not Die After Drinking Fukushima Water!

This appears to be another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Drank Fukushima Water In 2011

First, let me just give you a quick overview of Yasuhiro Sonoda and why he became viral in 2023.

Born on June 9, 1967, Yasuhiro Sonoda (園田康博 / そのだやすひろ) was elected to the House of Representatives in the Diet (Japanese Parliament) in 2003, as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan.

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the 44 year-old MP sought to ease concerns over the safety of the treated water. In response to a challenge by freelance journalist Yu Terasawa, he promised to drink the treated waste water.

I don’t want it to be seen as some kind of performance, but if that’s the best way to prove that the water is safe then I would gladly drink it right here, in front of you, any time.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) prepared a bottle of water from Fukushima Daiichi reactors no. 5 and no. 6, which was filtered and treated using its Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.

Then, at an October 31, 2011 press conference, Yasuhiro Sonoda filled a glass with the ALPS-treated water before polishing it off in two gulps. Even so, he pointed out that the data was more important than the demonstration:

I am aware that just drinking [the treated water] doesn’t in itself mean that safety has been confirmed. The best way to do that is to present data to the public.

Fact #2 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Retired From Politics

The viral messages suggested something nefarious after Yasuhiro Sonoda stopped posting on his Twitter account in 2014. The truth is – he stopped tweeting after he lost elections for the second time.

After that infamous demonstration, Yasuhiro Sonoda lost his seat during the 46th House of Representatives election on December 16, 2012. He subsequently lost again in the 47th House of Representatives election on December 14, 2014.

His last Twitter post was on the night before he lost his election, showing a video of his last campaign speech on December 13.

The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper would later publish a news article (no longer available online) on June 14, 2015, stating that Yasuhiru Sonoda announced his withdrawal from politics.

Fact #3 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Is Still Alive!

After leaving politics in June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda receded from the limelight. However, there is no evidence he is dead.

As a former Member of Parliament, his death would have been announced by the Japanese media. Yet, there is no mention of his passing. The viral messages certainly offered no evidence to back up their claims.

But more importantly, Kyodo News reached out to Yasuhiro Sonoda himself via telephone on 2 September 2023, and confirmed that he is still alive! Mr. Sonoda denied that he died from cancer.

Sonoda said, “I would like to once again apologize to those who experienced the earthquake and the people of Fukushima Prefecture,” regarding the spread of false rumors caused by his actions at the time.

園田氏は当時の自身の行動がきっかけでデマが広がったことについて「震災を経験された人や福島県の人にあらためておわびしたい」と語った。

Fact #4 : No Evidence Yasuhiro Sonoda Has Multiple Myeloma

There is also no evidence that Yasuhiro Sonoda was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a type of white blood cell cancer.

There has been no media report of such a diagnosis. Neither did Yasuhiro Sonoda mention it publicly. In fact, the viral messages also offered no evidence to back up this claim.

Unless Yasuhiro Sonoda or his family publicly reveals that he is suffering from multiple myeloma, or any kind of cancer for the matter, anyone who says that is likely lying to you.

Fact #5 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Was ACD CEO

Yasuhiro Sonoda kept a low profile after leaving politics. However, Taiwanese fact checking website, MyGoPen, discovered that Yasuhiro Sonoda became CEO and the company’s first Representative Director of ACD. Co. Ltd. in March 2018.

ACD Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of the Japanese airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), which focuses on the cross-border e-commerce platform called ANA Overseas Shopping. This was confirmed by a June 17, 2019 CoinON interview with Sonoda as ACD CEO.

It is unlikely for him to be appointed both CEO and the first Representative Director of ACD if he was already dying from multiple myeloma in 2018.

Fact #6 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Retired From ACD In 2020

It appears that the claim that Yasuhiro Sonoda went to Palau at the end of 2019 for palliative care is false. He was still CEO of ACD Co., Ltd until his retirement on 14 March 2020.

On 1 November 2020, ACD Co., Ltd. issued a press release announcing that Yasuhiro Sonoda retired as Representative Director and President on 14 March 2020, and was replaced by Hiromichi Furui.

The fact that ACD announced his retirement in November 2020 also suggests that Yasuhiro Sonoda was still alive at that time. The viral message claimed that he died in August 2020.

Fact #7 : Palau Never Announced Yasuhiro Sonoda’s Death

There is no evidence that the Bureau of Health for the Republic of Palau ever announced the 2020 death of Yasuhiro Sonoda from multiple myeloma.

A quick check of the Palau National Government website showed no such announcement about the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda.

The websites promoting this claim did not provide a link to the announcement. Suspicious, isn’t it?

Fact #8 : Ngerulmud Is The Capital Of Palau

I should point out that Melekeok is a state, and not the capital of Palau. The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. Before 2006, the capital of Palau was Koror City.

Fact #9 : MIT Does Not Have A Hospital / Medical School

MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of the top private universities in the United States, with five schools in Science, Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Management, and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.

MIT, however, does not have any schools of law or medicine. It also does not run any hospitals. Therefore, it is impossible for Yasuhiro Sonoda to seek medical treatment at the MIT Medical School, or the MIT Hospital as claimed.

Fact #10 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Japan MP Sonoda Still Alive After Drinking Fukushima Water!

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Former Japanese MP Yasuhiro Sonoda did not die from cancer, and is still alive, after drinking ALPS-filtered water from the Fukushima nuclear power station!

Claim : Japan MP Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water!

People are sharing videos and photos of Yasuhiro Sonoda drinking the treated Fukushima waste water in WhatsApp groups and social media, claiming that the former Japanese MP eventually died from cancer!

How is Yasuhiro Sonoda, a Japanese official who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago, now? Why did he disappear?

Finally solved the case, Yasuhiro Sonoda is dead, died of multiple myeloma in 2020.

[/su_expand]

Why did the Republic of Palau choose to announce such news at such a critical time when Japan discharged nuclear wastewater into the sea? The answer is actually quite simple: Protest.

Truth : Japan MP Sonoda Did Not Die After Drinking Fukushima Water!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…

I don’t want it to be seen as some kind of performance, but if that’s the best way to prove that the water is safe then I would gladly drink it right here, in front of you, any time.

Then, at an October 31, 2011 press conference, Yasuhiro Sonoda filled a glass with the ALPS-treated water before polishing it off in two gulps.

His last Twitter post was on the night before he lost his election, showing a video of his last campaign speech on December 13. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper would later publish a news article (no longer available online) on June 14, 2015, stating that Yasuhiru Sonoda announced his withdrawal from politics.

After leaving politics in June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda receded from the limelight. However, there is no evidence he is dead. As a former Member of Parliament, his death would have been announced by the Japanese media. Yet, there is no mention of his passing. The viral messages certainly offered no evidence to back up their claims.

In fact, Yasuhiro Sonoda became CEO and the company’s first Representative Director of ACD. Co. Ltd. – a subsidiary of the Japanese airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), in March 2018. It is unlikely for him to be appointed both CEO and the first Representative Director of ACD if he was already dying from multiple myeloma in 2018.

Yasuhiro Sonoda remained CEO of ACD Co., Ltd until his retirement on 14 March 2020. On 1 November 2020, ACD Co., Ltd. issued a press release announcing that Yasuhiro Sonoda retired as Representative Director and President on 14 March 2020, and was replaced by Hiromichi Furui.

The fact that ACD announced his retirement in November 2020 also suggests that Yasuhiro Sonoda was still alive at that time. The viral message claimed that he died in August 2020.

But more importantly, Kyodo News reached out to Yasuhiro Sonoda himself via telephone on 2 September 2023, and confirmed that he was still alive! Mr. Sonoda denied that he died from cancer.

園田氏は当時の自身の行動がきっかけでデマが広がったことについて「震災を経験された人や福島県の人にあらためておわびしたい」と語った。

I should also point out that many claims in the viral messages are easily proven false:

A quick check of the Palau National Government website showed no such announcement about the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda.
Melekeok is a state, and not the capital of Palau. The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. Before 2006, the capital of Palau was Koror City.
MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, does not have any schools of law or medicine. It also does not run any hospitals. Therefore, it is impossible for Yasuhiro Sonoda to seek medical treatment at the MIT Medical School, or the MIT Hospital as claimed.

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Nuclear Radiation Created These Mutant Creatures?!

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Does a viral video show terrifying mutant creatures created by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Nuclear Radiation Created These Mutant Creatures!

People are sharing a video on TikTok and WhatsApp, which claims to show that mutant creatures created by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as a warning of what the release of treated Fukushima waste water will create!

On TikTok : How frightening are the mutations caused by nuclear contamination #tiktokusa #usa #science #foryou #horror #contamination

Here is a transcript of the video:

This is a dog that has been contaminated by nuclear radiation. Pay attention. It has only one eye positioned right in the center displaying an extremely eerie mutation that gives it a profoundly unsettling appearance.

What’s even more chilling is the discovery of a group of creatures under the bridge. They hang themselves beneath the structure featuring eerie teeth in their central sections. To this day, the exact species remains undetermined. However, the extraction of their blood confirms that they have been subjected to nuclear contamination.

All of this took place in 1986, the third year after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Radioactive substances contaminated the entire sky resulting in widespread nuclear pollution across the region. By the third year of the nuclear contamination, the local wildlife had undergone severe mutations.

Three years later, scientists returned to the area and one creature without a head caught their attention. Its appearance resembled that of a headless deer with the head seemingly missing.

Now the mass before their eyes coiled into a slow undulating motion has puzzled scientists. Some speculate that they are mutated forms of animals while others suggest they might be plants affected by nuclear contamination. However, it’s certain that there is a faint consciousness within them.

What can be confirmed is that they’ve endured nuclear contamination. What exactly these entities are might not matter. But it’s likely that in the not so distant future, with Japan’s release of nuclear contaminated water, more similar organisms could come into our view.

Truth : Nuclear Radiation Did Not Create These Mutant Creatures!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : That Was A Baby Goat, Not A Dog

The dog with one eye isn’t even a dog. It was a baby goat that was born with one eye. The kid – that’s what a baby goat is called – was born on May 10, 2017, in the Indian state of Assam.

While the condition is rare, it is not unheard of. In fact, the condition is known as cyclopia, and occurs in the womb when the developing brain fails to separate into two hemispheres. As a result, the skull only forms a single eye socket.

Most animals born with cyclopia do not survive long after birth. A similar case in the past only survived for 10 hours. This cyclops goat, however, has survived longer than expected.

Needless to say, the cyclops goat has nothing to do with Chernobyl, and was not born this way because of radioactive contamination.

Fact #2 : Those Are Rabbit-Ear Barnacles

The alien-like creatures hanging under the bridge isn’t actually unknown mutants created by nuclear contamination.

They are just rabbit-ear barnacles (Conchoderma auritum), which are found all over the world. These barnacles look like that all the time, and were not created by nuclear radiation.

Fact #3 : Headless Moose / Deer Has A Head!

I cannot trace the source of the headless moose / deer video (yet), but I managed to get a higher resolution video that runs longer.

If you look closely at the video, you can see that its ears. The headless moose / deer actually has a head. It is simply looking away from the camera, which makes it appear like it is headless.

Perhaps the moose or deer was looking for a potential predator in that direction. Needless to say – a headless moose or deer was never found at Chernobyl, or anywhere else in the world.

Fact #4 : That Was A Horsehair Worm!

The mysterious tangle is not a mutant creature or plant that was created by nuclear contamination.

It has been identified by multiple experts, including University of New Mexico parasitologist Ben Hanelt, as a horsehair worm – a nematode-like parasite from the phylum Nematomorpha.

Also known as Gordian worms, these parasites pose no danger to humans, as they target insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and cockroaches.

The viral video was recorded by Huang Meilan in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on 29 August 2017. It shows a single horsehair worm which appears to be tangled in plastic mesh or plant material.

Needless to say, it has nothing to do with Chernobyl or nuclear contamination.

Fact #5 : Chernobyl Is Not Comparable To Fukushima

Now, I should also point out that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is not comparable at all to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. You can read a detailed study about this, but here is a quick summary:

Chernobyl dispersed 10X more radioactive elements (radionuclides) than Fukushima.
Even then, over 80% of released radionuclides in Fukushima were blown offshore into the Pacific Ocean.
Environmental impact of Chernobyl is much greater than that of Fukushima.
Highly contaminated area around Fukushima is much smaller than Chernobyl.
In contrast with Chernobyl, no one died from acute radiation in Fukushima.

A 2011 study confirmed that animals living near Chernobyl have 20X more genetic mutations than normal. However, these mutations are not turning those animals into completely new species.

If such long-term exposure to nuclear radiation have not made those animals glow in the dark, or give them extra limbs, or change them into new species, it is unlikely that the far less impactful Fukushima nuclear disaster will create any new animal species.

Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release

Japan isn’t going to just release the radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.

The ALPS uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water, leaving only tritium and carbon-14. Tritium and carbon-14 are radioactive forms of hydrogen and carbon, which makes them difficult to separate from water.

The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean. The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.

I should also point out that the level of tritium in the treated waste water is many times LOWER than the waste water released in other nuclear power plants, including the Qinshan NPP in China.

Fact #7 : Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Happened In 1986

The fake video claimed that these mutant creatures were seen in 1986 – 3 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. That would not be possible as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in April 1986.

Fact #8 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Chinese Nuclear Plants Release More Tritium Than Fukushima?!

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Do Chinese nuclear power stations really release 10X more tritium than the Fukushima-Daiichi NPS?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Chinese Nuclear Plants Release 10X More Tritium Than Fukushima!

People are sharing articles claiming that Chinese nuclear power stations actually release 10X more tritium than the Fukushima-Daiichi NPS! Here are some excerpts:

The Japan Times : Tritium in Chinese nuclear wastewater above Fukushima levels

The amount of radioactive tritium in wastewater from Chinese nuclear plants, recorded at 13 of the nation’s monitoring points in 2021, surpassed the maximum allowable annual amount of the material contained in treated water set to be released from the Fukushima No. 1 plant, according to public data.

NHK World : 13 China plants released more tritium in 2021 than Fukushima annual total plan

Chinese statistics show that 13 nuclear power plants in China each released more radioactive tritium into the ocean in 2021 than the planned amount to be released from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in one year.

Chinese nuclear energy sector data show the Qinshan power plant in Zhejiang Province released 218 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2021. That is about ten times the maximum amount of tritium to be discharged from the Fukushima Daiichi plant in a year.

Kyodo News : Tritium at 13 China monitoring points above Fukushima water level

The Qinshan nuclear plant in the eastern Zhejiang Province discharged around 218 trillion becquerels of tritium in 2021, roughly 10 times the maximum annual release set for the Fukushima water at 22 trillion becquerels, according to the data from a yearbook on the Chinese nuclear power industry.

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In addition, this infographic has gone viral on social media, showing how four Chinese nuclear power stations are discharging 4X to 6.5X more tritium than the Fukushima NPS.

Truth : Chinese Nuclear Plants Release MORE Tritium Than Fukushima!

This is a rare example of viral TRUE NEWS about the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : The Articles Are By Mainstream Media

First, let me just point out that many of those articles being shared are by Japanese mainstream media outlets.

While the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are promoting the perception that these Japanese media outlets are biased, they provided zero evidence to back up those claims.

Unlike your typical Twitter troll, or conspiracy websites; these are major media outlets that can be easily sued by the Chinese government if they posted misinformation. Yet, the Chinese government has done nothing. Why is that?

Fact #2 : Japan Previously Published Similar Data In March 2022

Interestingly, this data isn’t even new. The Japanese government, for example, published a summary of the annual tritium discharge of several nuclear power stations around the world on 31 March 2022.

In its summary, the Japanese government maintained that the target tritium level of the treated waste water to be discharged at Fukushima would not exceed 22 trillion Becquerels per year.

This level would be higher than what the Brunswick NPS in North Carolina, the United States, but lower than many other nuclear power stations in France, China, South Korea, and Canada.

In fact, Fukushima would release 10X less tritium than the Darlington NPS in Canada, and 1/500th of the tritium released annually by the La Hague reprocessing plant in France.

Fact #3 : Latest Data Was From China Nuclear Energy Yearbook 2022

The news report did not mention where the data came from, but after much digging, I found an 18 August 2023 IAEA circular (PDF download), which revealed the source:

[N]umerous operating nuclear facilities around the world, including nuclear reactors in the People’s Republic of China, discharge more tritium on an annual basis than the tritium contained in ALPS treated water from FDNPS.

For instance, the amount of tritium to be released annually from FDNPS is approximately 1/10 (one-tenth) of the amount of tritium released from Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in the People’s Republic of China.

The source of that information…. <drumroll please…> was the China Nuclear Energy Yearbook 2022.

Fact #4 : Data Is Backed By Official Chinese Report

Unfortunately, the China Nuclear Energy Yearbook 2022 does not appear to be available online. However, I was able to locate an official Chinese government report for the IAEA that was published in July 2017.

The report, titled The People’s Republic of China Fourth National Report for the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, can be downloaded here – PDF download.

The official Chinese report clearly shows that the Qinshan nuclear power plant discharged an average of 319 trillion Becquerels per year into the Hangzhou Bay.

That is about 14.5X higher than the amount of tritium the Japanese government is limiting for the discharge of treated waste water at Fukushima.

Qinshan NPP	Tritium Discharge Limit	Tritium Discharge *
2014	87.988 %	307.958 trillion Bq
2015	96.847 %	338.9645 trillion Bq
2016	88.589 %	310.0615 trillion Bq

* Calculated from the discharge in %, based on the annual tritium discharge limit of 3.5E+14 for heavy water reactors in China.

Fact #5 : Data Backed By Chinese Study

I was also able to locate a 2019 study (PDF download) conducted by Chinese scientists called “Analysis on the emission of tritium from Qinshan nuclear power base of china in recent ten years“.

Interestingly, this study showed ten years of data that showed how much the Qinshan power station was releasing, not only into the Hangzhou Bay water, but also into the air!

Qinshan NPP	Tritium In Gaseous Effluents (trillion Bq)	Tritium In Liquid Effluents (trillion Bq)	Total Tritium Effluents (trillion Bq)
2007	46.0629	84.220	130.2829
2008	56.564	93.381	149.945
2009	35.835	74.210	110.045
2010	40.387	76.010	116.397
2011	41.245	87.790	129.035
2012	39.636	87.690	127.326
2013	57.196	114.990	172.186
2014	84.799	137.560	222.359
2015	74.300	147.650	221.95
2016	117.900	179.200	297.100

Regardless of the source – official Chinese IAEA report, or the Chinese study, it is obvious that the Qinshan nuclear power plant releases many times more tritium into the sea and the air, than what Fukushima will release into the sea.

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Fukushima Radioactive Water : What Makes It Different?

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Is the radioactive water being discharged from the Fukushima nuclear plant really different from waste water from other nuclear plants?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Fukushima Radioactive Water Is Different From Normal Nuclear Waste Water!

People are sharing a Greenpeace article, as evidence that the radioactive water from Fukushima is not the same as normal nuclear waste water, but far more toxic and dangerous. Here is an excerpt from that Greenpeace article:

How is Fukushima wastewater distinguished from other nuclear plants?

The contaminated water of Fukushima is distinguished from other nuclear power plants not only by its greater variety of radioactive materials but also the overall much higher radioactivity. If it is discharged to the Pacific Ocean, it will potentially pose a significant threat to the well-being of human health and marine life.

Normally, water that is used in cooling a nuclear plant in routine operation and then discharged to the environment has no direct contact with the nuclear reactor fuel cores. In contrast, the contaminated water generated by the Fukushima disaster has come into direct contact with contamination from the melted down cores of three reactors and as such is severely contaminated with many radionuclides.

In other words, it is not appropriate to compare nuclear wastewater of normally operating nuclear plants in general and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear wastewater.

According to the latest report by the Japanese government, there are 621 radioactive isotopes were found in the existing nuclear water tanks in Fukushima, among which concentration of a radiouchile called tritium reached about 860 TBq2 – an alarming level that far exceeds the acceptable norm. Based on its survey studies, Greenpeace now highlights the findings of the following detrimental materials.

Strontium-90

An enormous amount of strontium-90 remains in the Fukushima nuclear plant, a radioactive material which in general is found in trace amounts in water discharged to the environment from normal operating nuclear plants.

Carbon-14

The Fukushima wastewater contains carbon-14 with half life of 5,730 years.

Other radioactive materials — Cesium-137, Iodine-129, Cobalt-60

What is also present in the Fukushima wastewater include other radioactive materials: cesium-137, iodine-129, and cobalt-60, etc.

The Japanese government claimed the wastewater treated through the ALPS processing technology would be free of any radionuclides except tritium, which is the only radionuclide to be discharged into the Ocean. However, it is far from true.

Until March 2020, the contaminated wastewater generated since the Fukushima incident has reached over 1 million metric tonnes, among it 778,000 tonnes³ (about 72% of the total water in storage tanks) is yet to undergo secondary ALPS processing.

There is no clear schedule nor work progress review as to when secondary processing could proceed. Up till now (April 2021), 2,000 tonnes of contaminated water has been undergoing secondary ALPS processing, only 0.25% of the total amount in the coming few years.

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What Makes Fukushima Radioactive Water Different?

The Greenpeace article makes for a compelling read, but here are the reasons why it is no longer accurate.

Fact #1 : Greenpeace Posted This In April 2021

First, it is best to note that this Greenpeace article was written in April 2021 in reaction to the Japanese government’s publication of its plan to eventually discharge the Fukushima radioactive waste water into the ocean.

The problem is that article was written almost 2.5 years before Japan actually initiated its plan to release the treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Since then, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese government have provided additional data to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its evaluation of the proposed plan to discharge treated radioactive waste water into the ocean.

Fact #2 : IAEA Released A Comprehensive Report

Right after announcing its waste water release plan in April 2021, the Japanese government requested that the IAEA conduct a detailed review of that plan, to ensure that it meets the relevant international safety standards.

The IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi accepted and established a task force to review the Japanese government’s plan to release the treated radioactive waste water. The task force was made up of top specialists from within the IAEA, and advised by internationally-recognised external experts from across the globe.

After two years of work, the IAEA publicly released its comprehensive report (PDF download) on 4 July 2023. The IAEA concluded that the plan to release treated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea was “consistent with IAEA Safety Standards“.

Fact #3 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered

It is true that the Fukushima waste water is different from normal nuclear waste water in that it has come into direct contact with radioactive material. Hence, it has many more radionuclides than normal nuclear waste water.

However, the heavily-contaminated waste water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is not going to be released directly into the ocean.

Instead, it will be filtered and treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.

Fact #4 : Fukushima Water Tanks Keep Leaking!

The Greenpeace article correctly points that there is a lot of radioactive water being stored at Fukushima Daiichi. In fact, there is currently about 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive water is stored in over 1,000 gigantic tanks!

Obviously, this is not a sustainable solution for TEPCO in the long-term, as they have to keep building new tanks, and old tanks will eventually leak. Or the water may be accidentally released.

In August 2013, TEPCO revealed that 300 metric tonnes of highly-radioactive water leaked from a storage tank.
In October 2013, TEPCO revealed that another tank was leaking, and some of the highly-radioactive water may have reached the ocean.
In February 2014, TEPCO revealed that a valve left open by mistake allowed about 100 tonnes of highly-radioactive water to overflow from a storage tank.
In October 2016, about 32 litres of highly-radioactive water leaked from a seam in a water tank.

Regardless of what we may think about the release of radioactive water into the ocean, it doesn’t appear to be practical to keep all that water in tanks that will eventually leak. Or even worse – get discharged all in one go, if there is another earthquake!

It is arguably much safer to treat and discharge the water, instead of risking these inevitable leaks of highly-radioactive water.

Fact #5 : Expected Exposure 1000X Lower Than Limit

For the purpose of the IAEA review, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan selected a dose constraint of 0.05 mSv (millisieverts) per year for someone exposed to the ALPS-treated water.

That is 20X lower than the “average accumulated background radiation dose of an individual for 1 year, exclusive of radon, in the United States“. In other words – very conservative.

The IAEA task force and TEPCO also assessed the exposure risk from within a 10 km x 10 km area surrounding the discharge point. Again, very conservative – because no one really would be foolish enough to fish from that area!

In the end, the amount of extra radioactivity that one might get from swimming in ALPS-treated water and ingesting seafood exposed to ALPS-treated water is less than 0.01 microsieverts. That’s about 5,000X lower than the NRA limit!

The IAEA report, however, is even more conservative in its evaluation:

[I]n all cases the doses are very low and more than 1000 times lower than the dose constraint of 0.05 mSv per year.

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Did Fukushima Just Release Black Radioactive Water?!

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Was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant caught releasing black radioactive water into the ocean?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Fukushima Released Black Radioactive Water Into Ocean!

A video showing black water being discharged into the ocean has gone viral, with people claiming that it shows nuclear waste being disposed into the Pacific Ocean by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

👆Footage of the release of the Fukushima nuclear waste water into the sea. Apparently more than 7,000 liters are to be discharged from 24/8 and through the next 17 days…. The Japs are evil, look at the blackness of the fluids discharged!!

Give seafood a miss in the future!

Japan latest news..

The Truth About Viral Fukushima Black Radioactive Water Video!

Fact #1 : Viral Video Was Not Edited

First, I should confirm that the viral video is genuine, and was not edited, or created by generative AI software.

However, the video has nothing to do with the discharge of radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Fact #2 : Viral Video Was Recorded In June 2020

For one thing – the viral video was recorded on June 25, 2020 – more than 3 years before the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started releasing its radioactive waste water on Thursday, August 24, 2023.

Fact #3 : Viral Video Was Recorded In Mexico

On top of that, the viral video was not even recorded in Japan! It was recorded from the balcony of a hotel in the famous beach resort town of Acapulco in Mexico, just off the Icacos Beach.

If you look carefully at the video, you can see leisure boats, beach chairs and the hotel’s swimming pool. This was obviously NOT recorded at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which is filled with gigantic water tanks holding radioactive waste water.

Fact #4 : That Was Sewage, Not Radioactive Water

The black water being discharged into the ocean was not radioactive water, but rather – smelly sewage!

Mexican state officials said that the high-pressure stream of raw sewage may have come from a broken sewer line, which potentially overflowed due to heavy rainfall in the last few days.

According to a witness, the filthy discharge lasted about 25 minutes, and was extremely smelly:

The constant outflow of black water lasted approximately 25 minutes, which came with a lot of pressure. They were very stinking waters, they made me nauseous.

Fact #5 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release

To be clear – TEPCO isn’t going to just release the radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.

The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean.

The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.

Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water To Be Released Over 30 Years

Most people are not aware that nuclear power plants around the world regularly release waste water containing higher tritium levels than the treated waste water from Fukushima.

Of course, TEPCO will be releasing A LOT MORE waste water than those power plants, having accumulated over 1.3 million tonnes over the last 12 years or so.

That’s why TEPCO will gradually release the treated Fukushima waste water into the Pacific Ocean over an extended period of 30 years.

According to molecular pathology expert Gerry Thomas, who worked with Japanese scientists on radiation research, and advised the IAEA on the Fukushima reports:

The water released will be a drop in the ocean, both in terms of volume and radioactivity. There is no evidence that these extremely low levels of radioisotopes have a detrimental health effect.

This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Fukushima Waste Water Release : Should You Worry?!

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Japan will start releasing tons of treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant!

Take a look at the viral warnings, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Fukushima Waste Water Will Contaminate Japanese Food!

People are now sharing articles about the impending release of radioactive waste water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, with warnings about contaminated Japanese food!

Circulating on WhatsApp : Must avoid seafood from Japan 😭.

@ElysiusThor : RADIOACTIVE ☢️ CONTAMINATION ALERT:

Avoid consuming any Japanese seafood imports. Japan will start dumping their 1million ton of radioactive ☢️ waste water into the ocean this Thursday. Keep your family safe from radiation-laced Japanese seafood products.

Circulating on WhatsApp : Good luck to shashimi lovers

Japan to release Fukushima waste water into the ocean starting on Thursday

No Evidence Fukushima Waste Water Will Contaminate Japanese Food

The decision of the Japanese government to release the radioactive Fukushima waste water is an emotionally-charged event that has triggered condemnation by many people all over the world.

It doesn’t help that there is now a wave of warnings about contaminated Japanese food on social media and instant messaging platforms.

Take some deep breaths and CALM yourself down. Then consider what we know so far about all these warnings.

Fact #1 : Japan Approved Release Of Fukushima Waste Water

On Tuesday, 22 August 2023, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida approved the release of the radioactive waste water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, at a meeting of Cabinet ministers involved in the plan.

He instructed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s operators, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) to get ready to release the waste water from Thursday onwards, if weather and sea conditions permit.

At the cabinet meeting, Kishida said that the release of the waste water is an essential step to decommissioning the nuclear plant, and continue with the recover of the Fukushima prefecture after the 11 March 2011 disaster.

Fact #2 : IAEA Approved Release Of Fukushima Waste Water

The International Atomic Agency (IAEA) conducted a safety review of Japan’s plans to release treated water into the Pacific Ocean.

After nearly two years of work, the IAEA released a report (PDF download) on 4 July 2023. The IAEA concluded that the plan are “consistent with relevant international safety standards“, and would have “negligible radiological impact on people and the environment“.

Fact #3 : Fukushima Uses Water To Cool Fuel Rods

Now, it is necessary to understand WHY there is even radioactive waste water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

After the plant’s cooling systems were destroyed by the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, three of its nuclear reactors melted down. The reactors were also damaged by explosions caused by the release of hydrogen gas.

To prevent further damage to the reactors, TEPCO has been pumping water to cool the nuclear fuel rods. The water, which is now contaminated with radioactive elements, is then stored in massive tanks.

Fact #4 : Fukushima Water Tanks Keep Leaking!

Currently, about 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive water is stored in over 1,000 gigantic tanks at the nuclear plant.

Obviously, this is not a sustainable solution for TEPCO in the long-term, as they have to keep building new tanks, and old tanks will eventually leak. Or the water may be accidentally released.

In August 2013, TEPCO revealed that 300 metric tonnes of highly-radioactive water leaked from a storage tank.
In October 2013, TEPCO revealed that another tank was leaking, and some of the highly-radioactive water may have reached the ocean.
In February 2014, TEPCO revealed that a valve left open by mistake allowed about 100 tonnes of highly-radioactive water to overflow from a storage tank.
In October 2016, about 32 litres of highly-radioactive water leaked from a seam in a water tank.

Regardless of what we may think about the release of radioactive water into the ocean, it doesn’t appear to be practical to keep all that water in tanks that will eventually leak.

It is arguably much safer to treat and discharge the water, instead of risking these inevitable leaks of highly-radioactive water.

Fact #5 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release

The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean.

Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water To Be Released Over 30 Years

Most people are not aware that nuclear power plants around the world regularly release waste water containing higher tritium levels than the treated waste water from Fukushima.

Of course, TEPCO will be releasing A LOT MORE waste water than those power plants, having accumulated over 1.3 million tonnes over the last 12 years or so.

That’s why TEPCO will gradually release the treated Fukushima waste water into the Pacific Ocean over an extended period of 30 years.

According to molecular pathology expert Gerry Thomas, who worked with Japanese scientists on radiation research, and advised the IAEA on the Fukushima report:

The water released will be a drop in the ocean, both in terms of volume and radioactivity. There is no evidence that these extremely low levels of radioisotopes have a detrimental health effect.

Fact #7 : Tritium Has Short Half-Life

Tritium has a short radioactive half-life of 12.32 years. What this means is that tritium will rapidly degrade:

only half the amount would remain after 12.32 years
a quarter will remain after 24.64 years

In other words, some of the waste water in Fukushima now has half the amount of tritium than was originally present when it was collected 12 years ago!

And if water collected in August 2023 was only released at the end of the 30 year discharge timeline, only 18.5% of its original quantity of tritium would remain in the water.

This is part of the reason why tritium paint is no longer used in premium watches to provide illuminated dials – its brightness keeps halving every 12 years!

Fact #8 : Tritium + Carbon-14 Occur Naturally

Both tritium and carbon-14 emit very low levels of radiation through beta radiation, which has low penetrating power – it can be stopped by nothing more than a layer of clothing or aluminium foil!

But more importantly, both tritium and carbon-14 occur naturally in the environment, and only pose a risk to human life if consumed in large quantities.

Unless you plan to drink a lot of undiluted Fukushima waste water to prove a point, you are unlikely to suffer radiation poisoning.

Fact #9 : Waste Water Will Be Discharged Into Ocean

Finally, let me end by simply pointing out that the Fukushima waste water isn’t going to be used to irrigate Japanese farms. So there is no risk to Japanese farm produce.

There is also no evidence that the treated waste water will contaminate Japanese seafood as the treated Fukushima waste water will be released into the ocean, which will further dilute the concentration of the tritium and carbon-14 nucleotides.

Fact #10 : Contaminated Fish Mostly Limited To Fukushima Area

There have been reports that fish living near the drainage outlets at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was found to have radioactive caesium 180X higher than Japan’s safety limit.

However, that contamination cannot be from the discharge of the treated waste water (which has not occurred and would not contain radioactive caesium), but is mostly caused by untreated contaminated water that has been leaking from the nuclear plant for many years now.

In other words, the discovery of such contaminated fish is evidence that the waste water should be treated, instead of being left untreated in storage tanks to risk further leaks.

TEPCO installed nets in January 2016 to contain contaminated fish inside the area. However, these nets have apparently failed, allowing contaminated fish to escape. That’s why regular sampling is now conducted in the area to detect such leaks.

Since contaminated water flowed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station port immediately after the accident, Tepco has periodically removed fish from inside the port since 2012 using fishnets that have been installed to prevent the fish from escaping the port.

However, when a black rockfish with radioactive concentrations that exceed regulatory standards was caught off the coast of Soma [about 50km north of the plant] in January 2022, we began sampling again within this area in conjunction with the installation of more nets to prevent fish from leaving the port.

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How Do You Magically Sort Balls By Their Colours?!

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How do people magically sort balls according to their colours?!

Take a look at the viral videos, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Galton Boards Can Magically Sort Balls By Colour!

People are sharing videos showing coloured balls being magically sorted into their individual colours using Galton boards!

In these videos, a mix of coloured balls are allowed to drop into a simple Galton board, and they somehow fall into separate colours according to their colours!

How is that possible? Are these special sorting boards with magnets that control where the balls fall? Or do these balls have different weights so they would fall in a special pattern?

Truth : Galton Boards Can Magically Sort Balls By Colour!

This is yet another example of FAKE VIDEOS circulating on WhatsApp, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Those Are Galton Boards

Let me just start by pointing out that the devices or boards you see in those videos are known as Galton boards.

Named after its inventor – English scientist Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911), the Galton board is also known as the quincunx, or the bean machine.

The original Galton board consists of a vertical board with interleaved rows of pegs. Beads or small balls are dropped from the top, falling left or right as they hit each peg.

When each ball reaches a peg, it has a 50% chance of choosing a right or left path. Each ball repeats the process at each peg. Eventually, all those balls fall into different bins at the bottom.

Fact #2 : Galton Boards Do Not Sort Balls

Galton boards are not designed to sort balls, whether by weight, size or colour. In fact, real Galton boards use beads or balls of the same colour, size and weight. So there really is no sorting of any sort.

The Galton board is used to demonstrate the central limit theorem – that the binomial distribution approximates a normal distribution with a bell curve, when the sample size is large enough. At the end of a traditional Galton board demonstration, the height of the balls in each bin approximate a bell curve (see photo below).

However, the Galton board can be modified to demonstrate other distributions by changing the shape of the pins, or using a bimodal design. For example, you can create a Galton board to show a log-normal distribution by using isosceles triangles of different widths to “multiply” the distance the ball travels.

Fact #3 : The Videos Were Computer-Generated

The reason why the balls in those viral videos were able to be sorted so accurately into the same colours is because all those videos were computer-generated using 3D graphics software like Blender or Maya.

One of the viral videos was created by Konstantin Otrembsky – a Russian visual effects artist who works for Channel One Russia. Konstantin posted his video on his Vimeo channel, stating clearly that “it’s a joke video which was made to provoke people to suggest all kinds of theories“, and was created “just for fun“.

Unfortunately, many of these videos are being shared and reposted to mislead people… or simply to generate views or increase the popularity of their social media accounts.

Fact #4 : The Balls Were Coloured After Baking Simulation

You may be wondering how do these content creators actually ensure that the coloured balls fall correctly into the bins according to their individual colour.

For starters, they use 3D graphics software like Blender or Maya to build a virtual Galton board model. They can then run simulations using real physics to see how the balls fall.

If necessary, they can modify the Galton board design, or even the weight of different balls to change the distribution. However, even they cannot simulate the proper sorting of the balls according to their colours.

While it is possible to run enough simulations to create such a video, it would require A LOT of simulation runs and adjustments. Too much work for what’s supposed to be a fun video.

What they do instead is bake the simulation, and then colour the balls after they have fallen. Because the simulation has been baked, the balls will fall exactly the same way again and again. Then all they have to do is render the baked simulation with the coloured balls into a video.

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Watch : Arecibo Telescope Before & During The Collapse!

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The catastrophic collapse of the Arecibo telescope on 1 December 2020 was captured by a control tower camera and a drone.

Take a look at the just-released footage, and find out what it showed!

Arecibo Telescope : A Brief History

The Arecibo Telescope is a 305 meter wide radio telescope, with a steerable receiver hanging 150 meters over the spherical reflector dish.

Built over a natural sinkhole, it was completed in November 1963 and was the world’s largest single-aperture telescope for 53 years.

Culturally, the Arecibo Telescope is famous for the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program, and being featured in the 1995 James Bond film, Goldeneye; and the 1997 sci-fi film, Contact.

Scientifically, the Arecibo Telescope allowed for numerous discoveries in astronomy :

discovered the first binary pulsar in 1974, for which Hulse and Taylor won their 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics
produced first radar maps of the surface of Venus in 1981
discovered the first millisecond pulsar (PSR 1937+21) in 1982
discovered ice at the north and south poles of Mercury in 1992
discovered the first ever exoplanet in 1992
discovering the first ever repeating fast radio burst (FRB) in 2016

Arecibo Telescope : Scheduled For Decommissioning

The Arecibo Telescope was damaged by hurricanes and storms over the years, as well as budget cuts.

The end came when an auxiliary support cable for the hanging platform broke on 10 August 2020, causing a 30 metre gash in the reflector dish.

Before a new cable could be installed, one of the two main support cables broke on 7 November 2020, shattering part of the dish.

On 17 November 2020, the National Science Foundation announced that it was impossible to repair the Arecibo telescope, and it will be recommissioned instead.

Unfortunately, before that could happen, the remaining support cables failed, and the hanging platform collapsed into the dish on 1 December 2020.

Watch : Arecibo Telescope Before & During The Collapse!

The National Science Foundation just released footage of the Arecibo telescope, before and during the collapse.

The footage was captured by a video camera from the control tower (Tower 12), and a drone inspecting the cables at the top of Tower 4.

Here is how the National Science Foundation described the footage of the collapse :

This video, that starts with a view of the top of Tower 4, was taken from the vantage point of an Arecibo Observatory drone, utilized for monitoring the condition of Tower 4 support cables.

Four cables are seen in the center of this video. The top cable does not support the telescope platform, but instead supports the catwalk described in the narrative for the previous video. The three lower cables are, from left to right, M4-1, M4-2, and M4-3.

Note that a number of individual wire strands of the M4-1 and M4-2 cables are noticeably broken at the beginning of this video. The M4-3 cable does not appear to have any broken wires at the beginning of this video.

The first indication of the coming failure is the breaking of another M4-2 wire, accompanied by a puff of “smoke” and chips of paint flying away from the surface of the cable. Four seconds later the entire M4-2 cable appears to disintegrate.

The failure of M4-2 is followed a fraction of a second later by the demise of M4-1, followed a fraction of a second later by the failure of M4-3.

The drone operator then swings the drone around to view the reflector dish and fallen platform, azimuth arm, Gregorian dome and the falling cables and catwalk.

The top section of Tower 12, near the Visitor Center, can be seen tumbling down the hill to the left of the operations building. The Tower 12 backstay cables that connect the top of Tower 12 to the ground cause damage behind Tower 12, well away from the edge of the telescope dish.

According to the NSF’s initial findings, the top section of all three support towers broke off, and both the 900-ton hanging instrument platform and its support cables fell onto the dish.

The observatory’s learning center sustained significant damage from the falling cables, although fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.

This is what the Arecibo telescope looked like, after the hanging platform crashed into the reflector dish below.

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