Is Fukushima's Radioactive Water Safe?

[@kylehill]

*Thanks for watching.* This was obviously a difficult story to unravel. I had to keep the facts in front of me while acknowledging the optics and politics of the situation. I hope what comes through is something more nuanced than anything you've read on the topic so far. At least two more videos from Fukushima to come before the end of the year.

[@newsaucegod4206]

Yay🎉🎉🎉🎉, does this mean Kyle you are not sick? More starfield on the gaming channel? 👀

[@Randyplaysguitars]

Hopefully this has nothing to do with you getting sick

[@j.f.fisher5318]

Yeah this is way more constructive than getting random YT ads here in Seattle for how great Fukushima's fish is lol.

[@LawsOnJoystick]

Kyle. You should cover those Russian Drivers, that where diving at Chenobyl bout a year ago.

[@MC---]

Any plans to do more office hours?

[@XdeadsoulXful]

I sometimes miss the silly Because Science days but Kyle being able to do what he wants to has been an amazing thing to witness and clearly for the best. kudos to you for everything you do, Kyle. much love

[@Pluto137]

He still does let his silly side come out tho. His let's plays and videos on dead space... ohhh all the dead Kevins😅

[@AB-mn6qb]

Thanks to the production of your videos, no bedbug outbreaks have been reported in the Fukushima area. In Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, bedbugs brought in by foreign visitors are occasionally found, causing trouble for the Japanese people. (Previously, bedbugs had been completely eradicated in Japan.)

[@lenorevanalstine1219]

it still breaks my heart that the meltdown could have been avoided if the company running the plant had listened and just moved the backup generators which they were told was necessary multiple times

[@namename9998]

Higher seawall. If the wall was the same height the water could have still gotten to where the generator was supposed to be. If the wall was high enough to prevent water from getting over it in the first place there wouldnt have been a need to put the generator higher. Onagawas wall was high enough and they didnt have problems despite being closer to the epicenter.

[@whyishoudini]

one day Kyle will call out the real issue,capitalism

[@namename9998]

@@whyishoudini "one day Kyle will call out the real issue,capitalism" If you won the lottery Im sure you would give away 100% of it because "the real issue is 'capitalism'"

[@whyishoudini]

@@namename9998 you just blow in from stupid ville?

[@VandeHaze]

@@whyishoudini Corporate greed doesnt equal capitalism, neither does central banking. If corporations don't act responsible there is no political or monetary system that can prevent social harm. It is them, the corporate and state powers that have the responsibility to act according to the risk assessments, corruption is far worse in socialism/communism than in capitalism. So failure to meet requirements is way higher in non capitalistic systems. Look at China and its downfall at the moment, it says it all.

[@MrJason005]

As an engineer at a nuclear power plant in the UK, I have to say this was very well put together! I even got caught out by forgetting that thin plastic could stop beta radiation, because I kept thinking how I could put up my dosimeter up against the container of Tritium water, but it would be a pointless exercise as the beta radiation would be shielded by the plastic. You also impressed me with your knowledge of the industry acronyms, ALARA (or ALARP as we call it in the UK industry). Overall, excellent video and good scientific knowledge!

[@NickDaGamer1998]

I'd love to get into a job like yours in the future!

[@MrJason005]

@@NickDaGamer1998 Always nice to hear somebody interested in a career in the nuclear industry! What pathway are you looking at for getting in?

[@aerix12345]

Hi Mr Jason. Would it be safe for Asean countries to consume South China Sea's fish as the currents generally flow towards North and South America?

[@MrJason005]

​@@aerix12345 Eating fish would be absolutely fine even if the tritium release water was directed East towards the South China Sea. The levels of tritium are so low and so diluted that it would make no difference to humans. The oceans around the planet already contain natural trace amounts of tritium in them naturally, and this tritium release from Japan will not make a difference. Especially because Japan is not just dumping all of their water all at once, but rather they are doing a gradual release over time, ensuring its safety.

[@tongyeung9755]

Do you agree with the section at 4:36?

[@EstebanDVO]

Thank you for educating the masses on this. So much misinformation going around over this.

[@antikommunistischaktion]

All of it coming from China, so Kyle has a LOT of misinfo to fight.

[@robolizard222]

And from certain powers with agendas….

[@Living_Life242]

@@robolizard222The CCP is gonna shoot itself in the foot when nobody wants to eat or buy ANY seafood for years to come and kills their own fishing industry. At least it should mitigate some of the Chinese fishermen taking fish from Japanese waters, from a lack of demand if nothing else.

[@ghostyboi9819]

@@zeitgeist909 hmm how? How is this video misinformation in any way shape or form ,because wasn't that what this video basically said in general ,and The time stamp is 7:24 if you want to look at it

[@Axymerion]

​@@zeitgeist909 Kyle never said that it was dangerous... But, I can see why you may dislike the way he presented this information. Especially all of the "according to TEPCO" qualifiers that, at least to me, sounded something like "that's what THEY say, but can we really trust THEM?". And while Kyle said that he has no reason to distrust the scientists, I could see some people watching only the first 7 or so minutes of the video and coming away with a wildly different take, than what Kyle intended.

[@user-we4xw1dk3v]

I love how every few minutes there's an open ended "Should we be concerned?/Is this safe?" question in the style of hyperbolic media, immediately followed up with a reasonable answer explaining the actual science behind it. It's so refreshing to see someone put so much effort and dedication into properly educating people as opposed to doing whatever will get you clicks. Keep it up!

[@toasterhavingabath6980]

that there reply above me sure is a real person and not an outdated scam bot

[@user-we4xw1dk3v]

@@toasterhavingabath6980 nah toaster dude I'm actually a real live person, and totally not a chatGPT imposter trying to trick you into liking things :)

[@carynmartin6053]

Such propagandized bs this is!

[@andreatelesforo8260]

This was probably one of the most eye opening videos I’ve ever seen about Fukushima and what’s happening after the disaster. Thank you.

[@Klentung8989]

Unlike the water discharge from other countries, the water from fuckushima had actually in direct contact with the radiative substance, making it far far more dangerous

[@ttttyyyy755]

As someone who experienced the 311 earthquake that led to the Fukushima nuclear accident, twelve years ago, I was studying at a university approximately 180 kilometers away from Fukushima. When the accident occurred, government officials repeatedly claimed every day that the situation was under control. However, during a press conference one day, in front of everyone, the roof of the nuclear power plant was blown off, that day, All the international students rushed to the airport.

[@talkfacts100]

So much to the 'responsible government' and their 'creditability'.

[@IzanamiIzanagi-ri1kp]

K, must be true if you say so.

[@talkfacts100]

@@IzanamiIzanagi-ri1kp how old were you? Didn't you watch and read news back then? The un university (unu edu) article by Figueroa describes this problem about communication and misinformation.

[@Hadgerz]

@@talkfacts100 guy's living in a post-evidence delusion

[@IzanamiIzanagi-ri1kp]

@@talkfacts100 Am just not gullible unfortunately, not a fan of general information without any specifics.

[@luwells5057]

I love that Kyle breaks stuff like this down enough that people who aren't well versed on the subject can understand it while people who are can still enjoy it and feel like they learned something.

[@phonsely]

a great science communicator

[@Tinil0]

My fear though is that people who aren't well versed on the subject will watch this video and walk away thinking that Kyle is reluctant to endorse the dumping or that TEPCO isn't to be trusted, which would absolutely be the wrong thing to take away.

[@gill998]

I agree, however I do wish that he would add numbers and relations to "safe" dose regulations for nuclear energy workers or the public, instead of very broad statements or stats related to a "dangerous dose". I feel like the type of people watching these videos would love the raw data comparisons to help understand better.

[@DeadKraken]

@@Tinil0 He clearly stated that the procedure is safe, and cited other sources on why, and honestly TEPCO is NOT to be trusted. It is trustable now, because it has the eyes of the government and the international organizations of control on its back, and they cannot behave like they did in the past, but they're not a trustable company in general.

[@namename9998]

@@gill998 Didnt he specify that there wasnt such a thing as a safe dose. Its a combination of time and intensity. If things were so dangerous then it will be right after an event happened and people wont be measuring intensity. Ex, the sun is safe if youre outside for 5 minutes but if you sunbathe for 12 hrs on a sunny cloudless day then the sun is dangerous and youll get radiation burns.

[@kellykramer7629]

Been looking forward to this episode of HLH. Thanks for investigating and summing up all of this. My perception of nuclear accidents, orphan sources, etc has definitely changed for the better.

[@blitzkrieg237]

As always, phenomenal delivery. No punches pulled, no corners cut. I greatly appreciate your efforts to educate and entertain, as well as your demonstrating that the two need not be mutually exclusive. You are absolutely killing it sir, and I hope you continue for a long time to come!

[@coolkidim]

Indeed, watching the video have helped me to come to the conclusion that Japan is not trustworthy. Even their own reports speak loudly that they should not dump the toxins into the ocean.

[@Valkerion]

As someone who has lived and worked in Japan for a decade now nonstop, I can confirm Kyle's experience and subsequent confusion about the heavy PR positive edge of things is the standard operating practice here for all kinds of stuff. Sometimes it can be helpful for both domestic (which is definitely their main concern because remember people got displaced and still hold hope to return home) and international. It's antedotal but no shortage of times have I/my friends been filmed/photographed/dubbed over purely for positive imagry, thankfully never for anything so sensitive. I'll never forget 3 years ago the local government used photos taken of me and my co-workers as promotion for the "giga school" initiative, a program to introduce more technology in the classroom. It shows us smiling and talking with kids while using ipads to video call another country... a program that was controversial 2 months prior because they fired 60 part-time teachers in our region alone to fund it... but now they could jerry rig a positive spin with almost stock footage. Either way, I really enjoyed this look at the area from Kyle. Even as a resident, I think hearing multiple sides, especially one that has no skin in the game, is important. Good work and I hope the trip was enjoyable beyond just working.

[@a_motivated_manlet]

I was about to leave a very similar comment yet alas, you were faster, so I'll just reply (the comment will be pushed to the top more) (I think). But, in short, I agree. I don't have much hands-on experience with the japanese culture itself but I am interested in social stuff in general (a human studies kinda guy) and my good mate is...well, a bit of a japanophile😂. So, basically, the Japanese tend to prefer looking more appealing and likeable to other people rather than doing what we westerners like to call "morally correct" (it is kind of subjective in the world of cultures). The western culture tends to prefer morals while the eastern one tends to focus on the image of one's self in the eyes of others. Reputation, essentially. So, what Kyle experienced might have been tainted with a healthy dose of culture shock😆. But it's immensely good he's talking about it. I am not trying to come out as hateful, it's just how the world works. Aaanyway, sorry for being a nerd but it's late at night and I'm trying to sleep, you know how it is😭. Edit: I am a monkey and don't know how to grammar Edit 2: FUCK, he said it at the end. Whatever, I'll keep this comment up. Always watch the whole video before leaving a comment, kids.

[@sunzwong5899]

Since you guys love the water so much, just import to America and EU. if not SHHHHHHHHHHH

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

It's supremely conflicting for me. On one hand we have a world burning down around us largely because nuclear power has such bad PR. Without the oil companies' intervention and the general fear mongering of ignorant (albeit well meaning) people, we could have delayed catastrophic global warming for decades. On the other hand, it's arguably the fault of misleading PR that has lead to the recent uptick of anti-vaxers and nutjobs. If you spend enough time in hospitals you eventually realize there are absolute idiot doctors who don't deserve their license, but which ones? You end up being forced to either get multiple opinions for every issue (expensive as hell and an extreme inconvenience) or use your own ignorant judgement to decide for yourself. And some people have chosen option C, just ignore all science entirely. So basically, my heart tells me, f*ck saving face, Japan needs to pull it's own stupid cultural norms out of its ass and realize this is not the time for games and saving face. But by the same token my mind says, if people are terrified by the truth and don't have the decade of proper education required to fully understand radiation, how can you save nuclear power? Are a few little white lies really so bad in the scope of impending doom for humanity?

[@longiusaescius2537]

Huh, interesting

[@alexanderelderhorst2107]

So that's what you sacrifice if you want to live in a beautiful country, an insulting and dangerous level of good PR.

[@Duspende]

I'm tired. So very tired. Tired of governments and corporations trying to spin a narrative.This ridiculous that 'this' is the reality we live in. Thanks for another great video, Kyle. Absolute banger.

[@sigmamale4147]

Get over it dude its not gonna change

[@darksouls_guy1656]

@@sigmamale4147 unless we change it

[@jmaraboli1394]

@@darksouls_guy1656and we will & we are. Period. We don’t need a government who doesn’t care for their people. We need more people that care for their own & one another.

[@DrDeuteron]

don't forget to boycott electricity.

[@accountrandomnumber182]

​@@sigmamale4147what then?

[@UncleManuel]

This. This is the reason why Kyle is one of the best communicator of all things nuclear. His Half-Life series is a national treasure, he has created a long-lasting legacy with it... 👍👍

[@MonkeyJedi99]

But so many people don't want facts. They just want to be told who to be angry with.

[@namename9998]

Except it took 18 mins before he explained that there are only 3g of tritium in all the Fukushima water. And 3g doesnt really mean much to most people since a lot use oz and others dont know what oz or grams looks like. For comparison a 12oz (340g) can of coca cola original taste has 39g of sugar. A medium apple (182g) has 19g of sugar. "The water, 1.34 million tons, has been collected, filtered and stored" "How many gallons are in a ton of water? There are 239.65 US gallons in a US ton of water. For a metric ton of water, there will be 264.17 US gallons" "The average swimming pool takes 18,000-20,000 gallons of water to fill." The amount of water would probably be equivalent to 18000 pools. And at 4:49 he mentions that tritium has a half life of around 12.3 yrs. Except "Tritiated water has a biological half-life of 10 days, but in the body, a small amount binds to proteins, fat and carbohydrates with an average 40-day half-life." This is outside Kyles scope but another comparison "It is estimated that approximately 706 million gallons of waste oil enter the ocean every year, with over half coming from land drainage and waste disposal; for example, from the improper disposal of used motor oil. Offshore drilling and production operations and spills or leaks from ships or tankers typically contribute less than 8 percent of the total. The remainder comes from routine maintenance of ships (nearly 20 percent), hydrocarbon particles from onshore air pollution (about 13 percent), and natural seepage from the seafloor (over 8 percent)." This isnt suggesting that oil is bad and people need to stop using oil. Something would be needed to lubricate wheelchairs, make helmets and other protective gear, etc. Its just comparing one thing to another (and theres more oil in the ocean than radioactive material from nuclear plants. And the radioactive material decays while the oil doesnt)

[@gill998]

@@MonkeyJedi99 you're absolutely correct, but hopefully, someday, those who care about the numbers and fact will prevail.

[@kato2395]

@@gill998 numbers could be fabricated though, do you think the numbers coming out from the chinese government regarding their disposal of nuclear waste is to be trusted? Not to mention they wont let independent researchers come to check with their own equipment & team.

[@MrPaxio]

MISTER NAGASAKIIII

[@mourik-janschoemaker8076]

I don't know if it has been asked before but if the water is ONLY used for cooling the reactor, why not use the same filtered water again for a second time to cool the reactor...?

[@mourik-janschoemaker8076]

@Kylehill...? Any thoughts...🙂

[@elipandaman]

/r/askscience has a good answer to this from 6 years ago if you google it!

[@duncikdog_5169]

That's because they do. Nuclear power plants have 2 water loops. 1st one is cooling the reactor 2nd is cooling the 1st one in either big cooling towers or by pumping river/ocean water in and out. Hope this helps even year later.

[@nicholasespinoza9610]

@@duncikdog_5169 rephrasing the question, why not use the irradiated water, instead of collecting, decontaminating and disposing of the water in the ocean, loop the water back to cool the melted reactors? Trying to answer my own question, because new and fresh water is always being contaminated preventing a closed loop system. Not sure if I am right.

[@mourik-janschoemaker8076]

@@duncikdog_5169 Thanks for your reply. I can understand in a normal reactor having 2 loops, but I doubt that is the same case in the damaged Fukushima reactor. Why bother storing the enormous amounts of water from that possible second loop iso reusing it again?

[@sixft7in]

Former US Navy nuclear reactor operator here. I spent that whole day at work explaining the news to everyone. In the Navy, we always said "Dilution is the Solution to Pollution." Also, every nuclear carrier and submarine in the US Navy discharges primary coolant water overboard almost daily. The ratio of the discharged Fukushima tritium water to the OCEAN is astronomically minuscule.

[@kylehill]

So how did I do

[@agemcastor]

Well as always the worst part is 2 billion in India and china polluting the air which has no dilution, so here we are again, distracted from the real issue.

[@sixft7in]

@@kylehill I think you did a good job. I shouldn't be surprised that TEPCO was communicating so poorly with people taking tours, but I was.

[@stevechance150]

Radioactive water + ocean off Japanese coast = Godzilla. Sweet!!!!! Who doesn't love Godzilla?!

[@Gunbudder]

the same goes for gasses, for better or worse. as chemists say, the air is nature's bin

[@pyrowolf681]

I appreciate you teaching us. I used to be hesitant on nuclear power but you’ve now made me very pro nuclear power. It would be wonderful if the media stopped using false scare tactics against nuclear power yet have little understanding of how things truly are.

[@StarxLolita]

I'm surprised, I feel the opposite. I used to be neutral about it since I knew so little, but the more videos of his I watch, the more certain I am in my distrust of it. Not because of stereotypes of glowing toxic waste, but the real stories he tells of stuff like orphan sources and corporate mismanagement. No matter how 'safe' we think we can make nuclear power, it will always rely on humans not being greedy, lazy, and stupid. Which is to say, that's never going to happen.

[@kommandantgalileo]

I have experienced the same thing as you have.

[@Jrny32]

​​@@StarxLolitaseems a little more like a fear of general radiological sources than nuclear power. Edit: To be fair though, corporate management never seems to come under much scrutiny. Not often than not it doesn't seem to result in consequences

[@themalaphage673]

​@@StarxLolita I don't distrust nuclear power, but I will always distrust human beings' ability to be mindful and to handle things appropriately. It is consistently shocking to me how often people will pick their own laziness over safety.

[@nikkita1688]

​@StarxLolita that will happen in all circumstances. The problem is greed, not which source we use. If people don't change their hearts, this will cycle through forever.

[@deanmartin8784]

This kind of story is what Kyle does better than any other KZbinr I have watched.

[@adamjenkins6024]

Not just for this video. Not just for the half life histories. But for all the videos you put out. Thank you. Your hard work shows, and it's so very appreciated.

[@vaqueroezpacial8267]

The importance of your role as a communicator of science in a way that is accessible to so many different people makes you already a legendary figure in the field of science based public speakers. Cannot wait to see the next videos on this topic.

[@arfyness]

Can't agree more. S-Tier. Among the very best.

[@fireriffs]

I've been seeing people freaking out about this and I keep thinking to myself, "The ocean is huge. It's going to dilute to almost nothing. You probably get more irradiated on a flight than you would ever get from this." It's good to see you putting out the actual facts while also being sympathetic to people's concerns.

[@ghosthunter0950]

China launched a massive propaganda campeign against it. No wonder its reaching a lot. Thing is, China are the ones releasing plant water that can actually do harm, and loads of it. You can't hide that kind of stuff. Unfortunately that only reached few people. The general public doesn't know about it.

[@PhilJonesIII]

The Pacific Ocean alone has 714 million cubic kilometers of water. I've seen a lot of scare stories along the lines of: 'Yoghurt found to contain xxxxxx, which is known to cause yyyyy" Take a sample of anything, anywhere and you have a good chance of finding same nasty that is known to cause some awful ailment or death. What such alarmist tales fail to mention is how much was found and how much before it starts hurting you. You might want to check out how many bug-parts and hair is allowed in a lot of dry goods like rice. We used to test for heavy metals in the paints that were used on pencils, the kind kids like to chew, adults also. The paint, delivered in large barrels (not unlike oil barrels in size) came as a powder. Even at maximum dose, you would have had to have eaten four of those barrels to even begin to be concerned.

[@airplanenut89]

I probably get more natural radiation from the Radon in the rocky mountains than I would were I to mess with the water at Fukushima.

[@danevans7460]

You hope so .. We are relying on data coming from Tepco

[@Alexander_Grant]

@@danevans7460 What other data would you have us look at?

[@WilliamAndySmith-Romaq]

Thank you. You set a very high standard for brutal honesty without sensationalism. Your "half-life" series is my GO TO for discussions of nuclear power, nuclear waste, and nuclear safety.

[@renatohmoliveira]

Awesome vid. I'm responsible for radioactive hazard management on my company, and I can say you did an amazing job, explaining in very accessible language and telling the truth. You said "I could see myself doing the same thing" was brutally honest and an eye opener - me too would probably do the same if I were on their shoes.

[@TheGreatVandoly]

I always look forward to watching new episodes of your Half-Life History series. They’re some of my favorites. Thanks for the amazing and educational content, Kyle!

[@zathegame]

​@hoovysimulator2518half life fans when they see someone say a scientific word about radioactive decay (its a reference to the famous valve game franchise)

[@kngofbng]

Half-Life 3 when?

[@zathegame]

@@kngofbng did you just say the number that comes after two and before 4 ???? I'm sorry but Better hide, or start running, for *hes* coming for you

[@benklehr1824]

When I studied in Tokyo, one of my professors was writing a paper on the accident and travelled there like you did. He shared with us his experience which was eerily similar to yours. Most striking similarity was that your personal Geiger counter showed a much higher count that the public one. It's sad to hear their PR approach is so confusing and unclear. I hope that changes for the future.

[@TheClaw47]

Did his dosimeter read higher or was the alarm point just set lower? I gathered that it was just a lower alarm set point, but I don't think he clarifies one way or another.

[@Hezeri]

What I picked up from the video, was that they weren't told beforehand the radiation levels right at the reactor. And as such, when they were getting closer, he was surprised by the dosimeter going on high alert. But those levels are still completely safe to be there and tour people there as long as you follow the right procedures, it's just bad practice to provide only half of the truth (providing numbers for radiation levels further away from the reactor to make it seem safer). I don't think he clarified, if the dosimeter/Geiger counter on the bus was showing similar values.

[@tehevilengineer7939]

That is the difference between a dose counter and a dose rate meter. One tells you roughly how long you were there and the other tells you how long you can be there.

[@AzziesPersonalRecordings]

I was stationed not far from there when it happened, responsible for communications for the military. Thank you for bringing more light to the science of what's currently happening. I think I may have nightmares about those days the rest of my life, as short as it may be, but it is good to know there are people still trying to do good.

[@Woodledude]

Kyle, I have so much respect for the tact, consideration, and nuance you brought to this topic. You're a treasure to us all.

[@pandahorn6733]

This has brought MUCH more information to me about what's going on around this event than the news of this event has done. Thanks Kyle!

[@alexturnbackthearmy1907]

News outlets search the breaking news, not informative news. A sad reality build by humans, in past and present and in future.

[@OMJNRG]

Bruh, if one things for sure, NEVER LISTEN TO THE CHINESE NEWS! It’s all propaganda! Always fact check everything you see online 10 times or until no further factual information is out there! I think it’s fucking funny how everyone is concerned about this meanwhile China has many video proof of waste dumping into the ocean.

[@kanlu5199]

No. Everyone focused their attention on tritium, and it was not clear what other substances might have.

[@namename9998]

@@kanlu5199 The other isoptopes could be easily filtered out so theres wasnt a reason to worry about them

[@kanlu5199]

@@namename9998 "The other isoptopes could be easily filtered out": Source please.

[@This-handle-isnt-available123]

Kyle I'd like tp thank you for being one of the only forms of nuclear and scientific education I'm able to get

[@Tubocatodico75]

I know it’s not your language but if you have the time, and the curiosity, look on KZbin for the “Avvocato dell’atomo”. They’re an Italian group of graduates in physics and engineers that are doing an amazing job of nuclear education with a tremendous amount of troubles. Italy is one of the most conservatory country about nuclear energy.

[@elmojackson6621]

You can download books on lots of different topics on the internet. I'm confused.

[@susukiran]

@@elmojackson6621 sorry of course. I can learn about science, geology, history and all kinds of thinks if we decide to read a bunch of books related to them. But do you really think people would read about something they don’t have to study about? Like honestly as humans we can’t waste time on every little thing and these channels help summarizing information they are specialized and are ment to study about. So not surprised that most people around the world won’t just be downloading science books and actually read them all and come to a understandable conclusion.

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

@@susukiranThat doesn't mean the information is unavailable... Your post is irrelevant.

[@NotAnonymousNo80014]

You should also watch Kyle's gaming live streams, to further your education.

[@samuelmade5776]

I think that you have done a wonderful job of showing the complexity of the situation, this isn't just a matter of science. The peculiar interaction between a disaster of this size and public perception and Japanese culture really does make for an interesting study case. I think that there's a big need for someone who does this job of showing complexity in the information industry. Thanks for being that someone, Kyle

[@mvmlego1212]

_"this isn't just a matter of science"_ Thank you. This is a statement that we need to hear more often. Science is powerful, but the scope of what it can do on its own is relatively limited. To properly handle issues like the Fukushima wastewater plan, we need to be proficient not only in multiple fields of science, but in ethics, politics, and economics, as well. Too many people attempt to reduce debates over public policy to "the science" even when the most important aspect of the debate lies elsewhere.

[@samuelmade5776]

I think it's fundamental to understand the science behind these kinds of events, but then you have to use that scientific knowledge to make an informed opinion, and for public communication this is too often overlooked

[@ticijevish]

Personally, I think that Fukushima Daini needs to be mentioned in every video on Fukushima Daichi. It is the sister nuclear power plant to the on covered in this video. It is a ways down the coast from Fukushima Daichi and suffered the same conditions as it did on that day. However, Fukushima Daini did not melt down and achieved safe cold shutdown within 48hrs of the tsunami hitting it, despite suffering pretty much the same conditions as Daichi. The differences in design and response need to be emphasized so everyone can see just how man-made this disaster was.

[@ZoidsNut]

I would live to see someone knowledgeable on the subject present this comparison.

[@tylerfb1]

I would love to see that.

[@319hiroyuki]

As someone who has been studying Japanese for years, it just sinks in that most people don't realize "dai-ichi" means "the first" (of sorts) and automatically implies there will at least be a "dai-ni" (the second).

[@richardmccann4815]

Tell us about Tohoku daini, just up the coast! In Tokyo, they said that the children must eat the radioactive food, and suffer the pain of Tohoku! See Dana Durnford at 8:30 eastern Sun thru Thurs, and see the true deadly nature of nuclear power, and the ongoing lies of the nuclear industry and their death factories!

[@nicholasespinoza9610]

my understanding of Daichi was that reactors 1-3 were safely shut down following the Tsunami but the reactors still needed to be cooled using backup generators, these diesel generators and their fuel storage were eventually damaged by a second wave and flooded.

[@a.g7891]

The world needs someone like you. Educating the masses about nuclear energy and waste, pros and cons, baseless fears and scientifically backed concerns - this is you, Kyle. This is your calling. Thank you so much. No pressure, though

[@Djiggity]

This is my favorite series on KZbin. For some reason these longer form videos are the only ones that hold my attention. And honestly it’s made me much more supportive of nuclear energy, perhaps in spite of itself.

[@chaoswraith]

Same. Things aren't so scary and ominous when you have the facts and perspective in order

[@Uberkilltoecheese]

nuclear is way safer than other forms of energy, provided people follow guidelines and proper procedures, so that’s good!

[@some_doofus]

@@Uberkilltoecheese not to misrepresent the severity of past nuclear disasters, but even when guidelines and proper procedures aren't followed, nuclear is still much safer than fossil fuels and even some renewables. While Fukushima was the 2nd largest nuclear disaster in history, and it caused significant psychological and economic damage to the Japanese people, it didn't actually cause any deaths directly. Compare that to disasters in coal mines, natural gas plants, or hydroelectric dams, where the death tolls of both regular operation and disastrous events are far, far greater than any nuclear accident. Even the death toll of Chernobyl, the worst nuclear disaster in history, pales in comparison to disasters in other industries that don't have the same negative stigma. Hydro dams have a far greater potential to cause catastrophic damage if improperly managed, and such accidents are more common than nuclear accidents as well. The Banqiao Dam failure of 1975 killed between 100,000 and 250,000 people and displaced millions more in a single event, yet hydro power is typically considered very safe by the public.

[@tylerolejnicak5481]

As a whole, nuclear energy is magnitudes safer than all other traditional energy industries. We're just so used to them and they're old enough we don't really talk about them. Tons of people die directly or indirectly through the burning of fossil fuels, not to mention potential global concerns. Compared to that, even with the few disasters we've had with nuclear it's almost nothing.

[@MaDOS_dsplyName]

Thank you for making videos like this. I just started school at a local community college to get started on my physics degree. After i finish my four year degree, i intend to work on fusion energy, but will likely have my doctorate in particle physics so that i can work on more than just fusion energy. Videos like this teach the public so much and can be so informative if properly distributed

[@KyleA-kq9sy]

Indeed. Nuclear could be a good source of power. Just hope Japan can manage to stop dumping nuclear contaminated waste into our ocean, making a level 7 disaster into a level indefinite disaster .

[@garyslayton8340]

​@@KyleA-kq9sy most of it is tritum It emits beta particals it will be stopped by your skin

[@dozaarchives2225]

Was waiting for this one! Great explanation, and taking the scare out of the process.

[@MarlinMay]

16:44 One more thing. Please consider collaborating with a Japanese science communicator to translate this extremely valuable, informative, and important content. Yes, English is taught in Japanese schools. Still nothing beats hearing what needs to be said from a native speaker.

[@na3rial]

Im so glad you covered this. I have Korean parents and the way Korea has been covering this has been very different from anything in the West and there’s just so little information beyond the very surface level that I couldn’t validate nor discredit anything from the Korean news. Which is wild for something that’s going to affect the entire world potentially

[@SwarleySwablu]

Nationalism at play here. It's way worse on the Chinese media.

[@bes03c]

I live in Korea. I can confirm, many Koreans are quite fearful about it. Also, mamy specifically blame Biden for signing off on it.

[@yeetboi268]

why can't they just throw the nuclear waste to space?

[@Thatguyboogerbush-gp9db]

​@@yeetboi268expensive

[@AaronShenghao]

​@@yeetboi268 There is a video on exactly why we don't launch nuclear waste into orbits on KZbin.

[@Imbrojeff2361]

There is a Chinese idioms which describes Japan perfectly: Japan is a nation that focuses a lot on small details but don't care about the big pictures. Japan is one of the cleanest nation in the world, but releases radioactive water into the ocean. Japan has some of the world's most well designed cities, but they design a nuclear power plant beside a shore which was prone to Tsunami. In WW2, the Japanese military was one of the world's most well trained has one of the world's best equipment, but lost the war because they waged wars against 3 of the largest nations in the world.

[@abc2390986]

Idiom? More like many people from your country just can’t accept that Japan is always a stronger, smarter, better country that yours.

[@KyleA-kq9sy]

I'm american. I agree with you. Japan is not trustworthy from the very beginning about this event. I'm also very suspicious as to why Japan ww2 troop 731 would be relocated to u. s. Back to the subject, u.s has been soft-banning Japanese seafood since the beginning of the year. we know this is coming. Check their data as to which country has the greatest decline of import from Japan in 2023.

[@CannibaLouiST]

That quote is FAKE. Please learn and read proper classical Chinese books before copying or pasting communist content farm material.

[@sushiya_jp]

As a Japanese, please find out why the nuclear power plant is near the coast before commenting. I'm amazed to say that "Japan is a country that doesn't care about the whole picture" by citing only one disadvantage.

[@THEGUYTHEGUYTHEGUYTHEGUYTHEGUY]

its like squeezing the juice of an orange into an olympic size pool and having people worry about vitamin c poisoning

[@gianniwu6564]

No no no, its more like me peeing in the pool because my big brother also peed in the pool. Are we gonna get nitrogen poisoning? Probably not but are we swimming in our pee? Wait till China gets its tens of nuclear reactors up and says “well Japan did it so why not us”

[@20032016]

I'm not sure if you've already looked into this, but I feel a positive addition to your half life series could be a deep dive, so to speak, into the US Navy's nuclear power program. It just turned 75 years old and has an operating history of 0 accidents due to the stringent requirements of operations. Keep up the great work, your videos always leave me wanting to see more content from you!

[@richardwalker6004]

I highly doubt there have been zero accidents . There have been nuclear subs that sank and are at the bottom of the ocean right now .

[@wesleywyndam-pryce5305]

75 years is not a very long time but that is notable

[@richardwalker6004]

@@wesleywyndam-pryce5305 I doubt it . There are always human error in any industry . Risk management is always based on incidents prior . There was a submarine that sank to the bottom of the ocean that is nuclear powered .

[@20032016]

@richardwalker6004 Let me rephrase: 0 reactor accidents. The subs that have been lost in program history were not lost due to anything going wrong with the power plant. We operate nuclear plants in countries that don't practice nuclear energy themselves. Our allies trust our program so much they send some of their own service members through our program to better their's.

[@20032016]

@@wesleywyndam-pryce5305 considering nuclear energy is only around 80 years old, the NNPP has existed nearly as long as we've been harnessing the atom and has been doing it with the best track record

[@MrGoesBoom]

Considering the misunderstanding and misinformation out there about nuclear anything, this was always gonna be an uphill battle for these folks. Thanks for breaking this down, I certainly feel like I've learned a bit from it

[@Quasimodo-mq8tw]

Well, my hairs stood up while i heard the Story. Tepco don´t seem to have learned much. This Company does not deserve the benefit of doubt in my opinion.(In fact, companies like Tepco and their involvment in goverments are the main reason im not in favor of nuclear energy production.)

[@johnnyw6467]

@@Quasimodo-mq8tw Before the incident, there are several scandals took place. Let alone back then, major shareholders are Blackrock and another US company

[@Wooble57]

@@Quasimodo-mq8tw got a better solution? we could kill orders of magnitude more people burning fossil fuels. The safety of nuclear power is rivaled only by solar and wind (neither of which we can rely on for power until energy storage is figured out). I'm starting to think nuclear education should be a mandatory part of high school science classes. This fear of nuclear power does more than anything else to worsen climate change, and it's completely unfounded by facts.

[@moiraatkinson]

Excellent video! I find all things nuclear really interesting and your half life series was the trigger. This video is one of your best - it would have been great if we could have seen photos but it wasn’t to be.

[@ZackForester]

If they don't tell you how much radiation you're going to be exposed to before the tour, how do you know if your overall exposure is still at a safe level?

[@whosjulez1157]

By measuring it yourself

[@eliaschadid8842]

He measured it himself

[@enfyrneaux]

Smuggle in a dosimeter.

[@Draelyn]

Because if they bring in people to show that it is not dangerous and people die from radiation poisoning it would be a PR disaster, and thats one that they probably cannot afford.

[@Tentegen]

.....you take a device that measures it???? He said that he did. I dont know if I'm misunderstanding your question......since he mentioned that.

[@itsjohannawren]

This series still, hands down, my absolute favorite on KZbin. You are excellent communicator of nuclear science.

[@JuliusUnique]

Kyle, did you know that here in germany, people voted to shut down all power plants because of fukushima? I am from germany and told people around me to not vote for "die grünen"(the greens, party in germany) yet they did. Fukushima is worse than 3 mile island because now we have 0 power plants in germany and produce more electricity with coal, it's horrible

[@funtourhawk]

The most efficient "green" energy and they ban it...wonder why? It's not about green energy...even though Germany is a huge proponent for the "climate crisis"

[@thestic6349]

It's an incredibly depressing situation. Just shows how difficult it is to assuage peoples' fears of something they don't understand, or outright misunderstand, particularly when it's a topic that's so hard to explain in the first place.

[@bassman87]

the irony of replacing nuclear with a solution (coal) that puts far more radioactive material in the air is not lost.

[@Nikcadem]

Thank you for trying to help others make informed choices, not a lot of people would even bother.

[@puddingsimon2626]

Germany literally shot themself in the balls, and then wen around crying as to HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPEND. and all that right befor EVERYONE knew a major power crisis would happen with the just started Ukraine war.

[@DDKolt]

Thanks for the information as always and please stay safe, you have been to a lot of nuclear facilities lately, don't forget that your health is most important

[@billymcmichael6174]

@kylehill, I've been on this tour myself over 20 times. I've taken over 200 researchers and students onsite. I have also been taken on tours inside the reactor buildings of Units 5 and 6 with all cameras allowed. Although I truly love your work and really appreciate this video, I was a bit disappointed that you made no mention whatsoever of the fact that TEPCO does indeed tell tour participants what the radiation levels are on the blue deck (the deck you stood on to observe units 1 to 4) during the briefing and prior to getting off the bus (which is optional ... they also say this). You also forgot to say that they have everyone wear dosimeters that tell you how much accumulated personal dosage you're receiving on the tour. You also make no mention of the fact that the total dosage you received on this tour was around 10 micro sieverts, which is a tenth of what you would receive on an one-way flight from NY to Tokyo. Furthermore, I know I am being nit-picky but I was quite surprised that you seem to have completely missed the point about their presentation with the treated water at the end. The big question mark locals and domestic scientists have about the release is not really about the tritium, its the traces of radioactive materials like Cesium, Strontium, etc. (carbon 14 in the case of Greenpeace) that is still left in the water after treatment that is concerning to them, since regular tritiated water released by NPPs do not contain this. By showing that the dosimeter does not react to the water, the tour guide was trying to explain to you that there is ND levels of Cesium (Cesium releases gamma rays) in the water. Perhaps all of this was lost in translation. If this is the case though I don't blame the translator, as this stuff is pretty technical. It's too bad whoever arranged for you to go on the tour didn't do a better job of negotiating to have cameras allowed. Someone like you is exactly who Japan needs to be going on a fully transparent tour led by bilingual experts in the field. (Edited for spelling errors- I am not very good at typing on my phone!)

[@Diamonddavej]

Also, the brochure for the TCS-172 says it can detect X-Rays as well as Gamma, so these instruments (TCS-172 and older TCS-171) may be able to detect Tritium's Beta radiation indirectly via Bremsstrahlung X-rays Beta radiation generates. They may have chosen this low range X-ray sensitive instrument for the demo i.e. they knew what they were doing. See SKK Catalogue Radiation Measurement And RI Facilities. My scintillation detector is sensitive to Bremsstrahlung.

[@kylehill]

This is a very good addition to everything that I mentioned in the video, thank you. I can only say what I saw. In retrospect, yes, perhaps I took the wrong thing away from the treated water demo. But if I did, I'm guessing many others might as well

[@kylehill]

And of course, if I get something substantially wrong, please let me know. I didn't go on 20 tours!

[@rarelycold6618]

Thanks, I definitely got the sense there was way more to the story than was being told here.

[@gelinrefira]

The point is not whether the water is safe. It really is still not safe because no one knows what will be the long term impact of releasing the water will be. How about the other radioactive nuclei that has far longer half-lives and also can be easily bioaccumulated? They are choosing this method to get rid of the water not because they are 99% sure it will be safe for the world. They chose this method because IT IS THE CHEAPEST. When you dealing with so many unknown factors, the wisest course is to take the safest way, to err on the side of caution. That's not what we are getting from TEPCO, or the Japanese government and the western backers. What we are getting is they want to cut corners and cheap out and not pay for their own mistakes, of which the first was not building adequate defenses for Fukushima Daiichi against such a tsunami. Because they also cheap out there too. They are cheaping out because that's what capitalists always do: find the cheapest way to get rid of problems and let society deal with the consequences. It is now obvious that the west and their allies cannot be trusted to do proper science and to be truthful. They are committing the same kind of fraud they accuse other non-western countries of committing. At this point, I don't believe anything coming out of western media or opinions. I don't believe a lick of what you said because you people are known to just outright lie for profits. You people always put profits above human lives and the environment. For all I know, the Geiger counter or the dosimeter can be tampered with, because if you people can wants to save billions of dollars, what's a little more than tampering with the equipment? If it is really so safe, why not let the Chinese and Russian scientists examine the water right at the site? Why not open it up to the people who have the most incentives to make sure the water is safe to release? You want me to trust the people who have the most incentives to dump water as it is? We are not morons. We don't trust you people. That is why I find them dumping the water into the ocean to be absolutely hypocritical and morally disgusting.

[@cropathfinder]

Great to see a professional cover this. I'm obviously not but i've read up and looked into the problems related to radiation along with talking with people who are in the field that i knew this was just a lot of media raising panick for clicks , national and political goals (looking at you south korea). This really helps when i'm trying to explain to friends and ppl i know that no all oceans are not radioactive death pools now(yes i actually had someone that exaggerated it to that point lol).

[@tallyforeman3145]

Professor Thor always keeping things real for us. Thanks man!

[@S.ARIF_2020]

Can i pause for a second and just say how great the Thumbnail for this video is? It's not easy to create an engaging thumbnail that gets you hooked. And yours does that job very well! Respect. And by the way, you changed my whole perception about nuclear energy and safety, just on the side 😊 Thanks a lot🎉

[@KageApolloBiff]

Great video. About a week ago, a week after they started releasing water, I visited Futaba, the last town to have evacuation lifted in Oct 2022. I read a lot about the event and spoke with a PhD student working on TEPCO post disaster relief stuff. And after all of that, I was still unsure, and I think everything that you said was accurate. And as someone who has been living in Japan and learned about how the society works, your experience was exactly what I would expect, very Japanese

[@timothywiens9384]

Great video. You're points seem to align with my own when trying to read up on this. I trust the science behind releasing treated water, but TEPCO does a poor job at getting my trust in general. We have to ensure that regulatory bodies keep these companies honest and responsible.

[@BigManDaichi]

I got pretty severe ADHD, but somehow you made 20 minutes feel like 5 and helped me understand something fairly controversial currently. Thank you, Kyle.

[@blackdoug5302]

Agreed 🤝

[@emperorarima3225]

I think it's because YOU specifically are interested in this video, and it is presented well 🤌

[@okashiromi5541]

‏‪19:05‬‏ "diluting whiskey in coke" is actually not a bad metaphor, if you add at the end that you're diluting one drop of whiskey in like, 12 2L bottles worth of coke. Tho I assumed those ppl didn't actually say it that way.

[@aphtoris]

I’m currently in japan with plans to visit the area surrounding the nuclear power plant in 3 days. thanks to you, I am a strong proponent of nuclear energy while also being extremely conscious of its troubled past. I’m visiting the area to continue to educate myself about the important history. this video did an excellent job of presenting a nuanced understanding of the issue. thank you, kyle.

[@Klentung8989]

Unlike the water discharge from other countries, the water from fuckushima had actually in direct contact with the radiative substance, making it far far more dangerous

[@xxrrxx-mx8hp]

Respect for keeping an open mind and not just focusing on the good parts. Few people like this anymore.

[@ElfRulerr]

Are you staying on the bus?

[@MikeWalls7829]

Nuclear power has killed far less people that fossil fuels, Fukushima killed 1 person, oil and gas are responsible for 10s of thousands of deaths yearly. Most people don't realise that for several decades there have been over 400 nuclear power stations operating around the world without incident.

[@nekoJens]

Nuclear power is dead, globally. The cost of capital is too high and interest rates are rising. Nobody wants to invest 20Billion to build a powerplant which may be finished in 20 years… or not. Where are all the strong proponents coming from lately, a dying industry spreading propaganda about its own greatness?

[@daringee881]

Not only great information, but information delivered in a digestible manner. Thanks again and keep doing you!!

[@KyleA-kq9sy]

Hopefully, Japan would take the responsibility and opt for other options and stop dumping nuclear contaminated toxin into our ocean.

[@garyslayton8340]

​@@KyleA-kq9sy Its not toxin my guy He grabbed a bunch with a bottle lol those anti 5 g pendents you get on amazon are more radioactive

[@johnhughes6847]

Excellent balancing act Kyle. I can certainly appreciate the effort that went into this piece. Thank you!

[@amj.composer]

How can Kyle be so goofy and wholesome in some videos and so serious and emotional in others 😭. Talented aff

[@swordandsheild1]

Yet again, Kyle crushes the game with an immaculately produced educational video that somehow makes me feel like a kid in school when I'd walk into class and find the room darkened and the TV hooked up for some exciting science documentary. Really really digging this style of video, great work!

[@DancingAngelOfSpira]

Thanks for the nostalgia trip. I remember that as well 😁

[@swordandsheild1]

@@DancingAngelOfSpira some of the best memories of school in my opinion! Lol

[@TheKosmotect]

We can always count on Kyle educate us. Been watching sense the Nerdist News days, always enjoyable and stocked full of info.

[@TheEFRoommates]

I really love the respect that you have for the subject and for the locations in question. It very much feels like a lot of other KZbinrs that go to these places are like tourists. Throughout every single one of the videos that you do of these tours and these events, you are calm and somber, which really enforces the enormity of the situation. Thank you again Kyle, been watching since Because Science and I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into making sure you put out correct information.

[@thephilguy1]

Your nuclear videos are top notch Kyle, you handle the topic with the seriousness it deserves but communicate it in a way that non-experts can easily grasp. Love it, keep them coming!

[@danielbrown2212]

This guy is the man! Just stumbled upon this treasure trove of content. Oh, and btw, as a long time Japan resident, I found your obervations to be fair and apporpriately critical. Keep up the good work!

[@nicoler.wunderink_2874]

I feel like we known so much more about Chernobyl than Fukushima, i suppose there are many reasons for this but unknown=fear and fear is never good. So thank you for creating a platform of information

[@tiagocf1208]

One was reported by outside sources since it was found out by outside sources that butted in. The other left the very people that would be fired/arrested care for the cleanup and investigation. Like many other things in japan, their doctrine is to just bury any shameful past and try to divert eyes to nicer things

[@namename9998]

what dont we know about Fukushima?

[@WhiteWolf-lm7gj]

@@namename9998 I think they meant that Chernobyl is very well known in the public conscious, to a greater degree than Fukushima

[@littleman6950]

​@namename9998 the nasty "confusing" facts they're hiding because public image is paramount in Japan. We think of the Japanese people as more honorable or noble, but their execs are little different from any other ceo, shareholder or oligarch. They're going to minimize losses, maximize gains, and do everything they can to convince everyone they're the good guys. It's harder to believe they aren't cutting corners or fudging numbers.

[@namename9998]

@@WhiteWolf-lm7gj I guess. But they were 2 different events. Everything had been contained so what was there to know. And even if people knew about it would they understand whats being told. Like people hear cs-137 and think "Im going to die" except they dont know that "Caesium-137 has a number of practical uses. In small amounts, it is used to calibrate radiation-detection equipment.[10] In medicine, it is used in radiation therapy.[10] In industry, it is used in flow meters, thickness gauges,[10] moisture-density gauges (for density readings, with americium-241/beryllium providing the moisture reading),[11] and in gamma ray well logging devices." Its like when a plane carrying 200 people crashes and everyone dies the world notices but when a plane carrying 2 people crashes and everyone dies it doesnt get the same coverage. And people already knew the effects of radiation because of Chernobyl so there wasnt a need to panic over that.

[@jenniferklayer5259]

Hey Kyle! That has been the most fair and balanced video of Fukushima that I have possibly seen. The saving face thing isn't just Japanese it happens in other Asian cultures as well. I had to deal with that alot growing up and my mom is Filipina.

[@joe6167]

Westerns need to recognize the "saving face" when they see it. "Saving Face" can often come with dangerous implications... such as having people stand around in front of a heavily radioactive site...

[@Spacedott_]

I'm appreciative in the extent you've constantly expanded the publics and my own knowledge on nuclear topics... I'm looking forward to more 🙂

[@russianwhoopiecushion]

I don’t know a whole lot about nuclear power, but I lived down the highway from the Lake Anna Nuclear Power Station, and it was pretty cool to be able to swim in water that had a nuclear reactor as a giant pool heater. That water was different, but the locals loved it, and nobody cared that it was from a nuclear reactor

[@brucetidwell7715]

Thanks, Kyle! This was an excellent explanation that I can trust. I don't think there is any place in the world where you could trust that you were being given the absolute unvarnished truth about something this complex and controversial. Japan's deeply ingrained aversion to addressing embarrassing or controversial topics and situations makes it even more difficult for people accustomed to much more blunt direct communication to feel like they are getting the whole story. I've been following this since the day it happened and I'm looking forward to the rest of your series.

[@IncredibleMD]

I think this is it. Japanese hatred of nuclear energy has a lot to do with it being the cause of the two most shameful events in the last century of Japanese history.

[@QingxueQi]

Tbh nowadays I'm being skeptical when consuming information😅including this video...and I've got some confusions/doubts about the info hi's spreading... I replied him: Thank you for your information! However, I've got some confusions about some of the contents in your video. In 'The Water' section, you put an image (3:16) about the operation of the nuclear plant, and I looked into it. There're two types of water in there and I cared which one was releasing out into the environment, and I saw it's the cooling water in the light blue colour. The image also in this section at 4:07 showed how TEPCO cooled down the reactor after the disaster, where water needed to continuously recirculated into the Primary Contaminated Vessel. This made me think that the cooling water normally released into the environment from the nuclear plant is different from the water that TEPCO is releasing, because cooling water does not flow into the Primary Contaminated Vessel, and that makes me think the water released by TEPCO contains much more radio active substances than cooling water. In your video I feel like the nature of these two waters are mixed up, just to confirm whether my understanding is correct? My second confusion is more simple, about you explaining the dilution, actually I think it's quite misleading. So I wonder, if I want to dilute 1L ink and used 1 ton of water, there's less ink in the diluted solution in one litre (1/1001 concentration), but now I have 1L + 1 ton of solution (1001L), even though 1L of this solution is much clearer, but now I have 1001L in total. In case of releasing treated water, it's the same concept, that it's gonna release 1001L in 30 years instead of release 1L concentrated water in 1 year. In your video explaining about dilution, not only it should consider the concentration, but the total amout as well; if the total amout doesn't change, it's just spending more time to release, but not reducing the amount of nuclear active substance nor radio activity. I generally don't support Japan of releasing the water (whether you call it trater water or contaminated water) into the ocean, because there's lack of transparency and shady acts (e.g. create mascot of Tritium; emphasize Tritium but disregard many more substances like C14 and Se137 that would cause more damage in the long run), and bad reputation of TEPCO that partially caused this disaster in the first place (not wanted to spend money to repair nuclear plant and build safety infrastructures). Also, the IAEA report is questionable as well, about its long disclaimer and the number/range of radio active substances tested. I'm really scared that the water released into the ocean was not as safe as TEPCO stated, but could do nothing about it. As a big influencer like you, please be even more cautious on the content you publish... It really does matter... If there's missing information that might mislead audiences, it would be disastrous...

[@galaxyanimal]

@@QingxueQi In the video, he said that they remove all the other radioactive isotopes except for tritium before releasing the water. As for the over time aspect, if you dumped a huge amount at once, it would take very long for it to get diluted into the rest of the water; it would be similar to dumping a liter of ink into a 1000L tank, where the ink would stay in a plume and take very long to disolve vs. putting the ink in one drop at a time. The overall end result would be the same, but dumping it would make a much higher local concentration for longer.

[@brucetidwell7715]

@@QingxueQi I think your conclusions are mistaken. First, the irradiated water coming out of the reactor is being scrubbed. That is a chemical/physical process that I don't understand. However, the amount of radiation in the water going into the process is irrelevant. What matters is how clean the water is coming out. That water is being monitored by international experts. We are not just taking Tepco's word for it. Think about like a sewage treatment plant. Sometimes the water is coming straight from sewage pipes and is very dirty but other times it is mixed with rainwater and is comparatively less dirty. Either way, it is not safe. However, after treatment, it is all equally clean. Your analogy of ink in water is somewhat accurate but you draw the wrong conclusion. If you have a bottle of ink, it will stain anything it touches black. If you dissolve that ink in a few cups of water, it will only stain certain things gray and may not stain others at all. Dissolve it in a litter of water and you might be able to see that the ink is there but it will stain nothing. Dissolve it in five litters of water and it is invisible and drinkable. In a swimming pool only sophisticated chemical analysis will reveal the ink was ever there at alll. The ocean is an inconceivably large body of water compared to the water being released by Tepco. It is not just sitting there forming a radioactive pool in the ocean. It will take 40 years to drain the tanks precisely so that never happens. Natural currents are carrying it away. Just as they would if you dumped a bottle of ink in the ocean and, if you added that ink drop by drop, you would never even see it. A single radioactive molecule is not dangerous by itself. Not even a dozen, or a thousand of them. Just like a drop of drizzle does not get you wet, or a thousand of them. It takes a raindrop to leave a wet spot and a thousand drops of rain to leave you "soaked." You are already exposed to radioactive particles all of the time every day. Adding a few more to our vast planetary system is unnoticeable.

[@GeoT91]

@@brucetidwell7715 Except the water that's been filtered is NOT being monitored by international experts, the sole assurance we have is TEPCO has kindly provided some samples to IAEA. As anyone w/ a science/engineering/math background knows, results from improper sampling is meaningless, and is the frequent method to fudge data, and the reason for phony scientific reports. Literally the entire premise of this operation the ALPS system is big unknown, Japan, influencers and media likely getting a cut of the billions Japan is spending on PR is to focus on tritium, tritium tritium to distract the masses from the actual concern.

[@Agaures]

Thank you for continuing this series. I greatly appreciate that you are treating the topic with the seriousness it deserves, and are respectful of the people directly affected by the events you cover. I also like that when you communicate the information, you are clear and honest about your personal thoughts and bias, rather than trying to obscure it.

[@slasat_lived]

Sad that they had to make a PR session instead of education session on this topic for their tourists. I understand why they did it, but I see more long-term value in educating common people than in apologies and useless presentations of clear water. P.S. Good job, Kyle! Thank you for your video!

[@limtongen312]

This is by fair the best analytical video about this very incident, all details are being broken down into amateur-understandable pieces! Great job🎉

[@MoreIrrelevantTwaddle]

Damn Kyle Hill, these videos are some of the best on this platform. Informative without feeling like you're being misled or pushed towards an opinion, well produced, edited, and sound design. This and your Half Life series is must watch for anyone interested in this topic. Thank you for taking the time to create these, sincerely.

[@DanielPlok]

I just really love these moments of silence in your documentary’s, Just shows the amount of skill and confidence present just to give the viewer a moment to take in a piece of Information or prepare for the next slide.

[@jacob_90s]

My only real request would be by an outside team to go there and verify the engineering is being done correctly; not just people on the other side of the world reading about it and giving it the stamp of approval. Even if the methodology they state is completely correct, it still needs to be implemented correctly, and verifying that requires people to be in person.

[@autohmae]

Pretty certain that this is exactly what the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) does.

[@autohmae]

From a press release: "IAEA experts are there on the ground to serve as the eyes of the international community and ensure that the discharge is being carried out as planned consistent with IAEA safety standards," said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. "Through our presence, we contribute to generating the necessary confidence that the process is carried out in a safe and transparent way."

[@blackbelt2000]

@@autohmae Fact-check: The IAEA itself in the report clearly claimed that the report does not constitute any endorsement for the discharging plan, and clearly stated that the report is based on the samples and data directly provided by the tokyo Electric company, and we all know how reliable the jpnese companies are in terms of providing true and accurate data given the fact that they were caught lying to the public in regards to the severity of the catastrophe. Also, jpn doesn't allow other countries to do independent sampling and tests so they are forced to use data that only tepco provides. IAEA examines the data provided by jp/tepco, IAEA never collected any sample or data by themselves. IAEA said Japan ONLY request them to test two substances so they ONLY tested and were OK with those two substance. Another fact: jpn/tepco made a political donation in the millions of dollars to the IAEA just before they released their report.

[@autohmae]

@@blackbelt2000 that does NOT sound good. 😞

[@ghoulchan7525]

​@@blackbelt2000 well ain't that last bit fishy

[@mahaniyama]

As a nation that deals with earthquakes since the beginning of time, I don’t understand why their risk assessments allowed the plant to be build directly next to the ocean without providing high enough walls to keep any tsunami out. Building slightly further inland at elevated altitudes may be less convenient but would decrease risk levels significantly, at least in theory. Or am I missing something here?

[@okcboomer87]

You have single handedly educated me on nuclear fallout and poisoning. This series is simply amazing.

[@bulasev]

I found myself in situation where I am uncertain about most of the information I consume... very few sources I fully trust. You Kyle are on my shortlist. Thank you for not just the information but the education and humour too.

[@Afrologist]

He's one of the few creators out here actually giving objective takes while not being completely boring.

[@QingxueQi]

Hi! Below is my comment that replied to him, including some aspects that I think this video could be improved. I don't trust information I consumed either, so I've also got some doubts about this video... Thank you for your information! However, I've got some confusions about some of the contents in your video. In 'The Water' section, you put an image (3:16) about the operation of the nuclear plant, and I looked into it. There're two types of water in there and I cared which one was releasing out into the environment, and I saw it's the cooling water in the light blue colour. The image also in this section at 4:07 showed how TEPCO cooled down the reactor after the disaster, where water needed to continuously recirculated into the Primary Contaminated Vessel. This made me think that the cooling water normally released into the environment from the nuclear plant is different from the water that TEPCO is releasing, because cooling water does not flow into the Primary Contaminated Vessel, and that makes me think the water released by TEPCO contains much more radio active substances than cooling water. In your video I feel like the nature of these two waters are mixed up, just to confirm whether my understanding is correct? My second confusion is more simple, about you explaining the dilution, actually I think it's quite misleading. So I wonder, if I want to dilute 1L ink and used 1 ton of water, there's less ink in the diluted solution in one litre (1/1001 concentration), but now I have 1L + 1 ton of solution (1001L), even though 1L of this solution is much clearer, but now I have 1001L in total. In case of releasing treated water, it's the same concept, that it's gonna release 1001L in 30 years instead of release 1L concentrated water in 1 year. In your video explaining about dilution, not only it should consider the concentration, but the total amout as well; if the total amout doesn't change, it's just spending more time to release, but not reducing the amount of nuclear active substance nor radio activity. I generally don't support Japan of releasing the water (whether you call it trater water or contaminated water) into the ocean, because there's lack of transparency and shady acts (e.g. create mascot of Tritium; emphasize Tritium but disregard many more substances like C14 and Se137 that would cause more damage in the long run), and bad reputation of TEPCO that partially caused this disaster in the first place (not wanted to spend money to repair nuclear plant and build safety infrastructures). Also, the IAEA report is questionable as well, about its long disclaimer and the number/range of radio active substances tested. I'm really scared that the water released into the ocean was not as safe as TEPCO stated, but could do nothing about it. As a big influencer like you, please be even more cautious on the content you publish... It really does matter... If there's missing information that might mislead audiences, it would be disastrous...

[@bulasev]

@@QingxueQi you forget something. I am an average Internet user. I am not going to dig deep into scientific papers and official releases just to form an opinion. If you have your doubts... no problem. I uphold my opinion of him and the work he does

[@davechongle]

@@QingxueQithe "different" water you are thinking of was very likely already released into the atmosphere as a result of the 3 explosions. the water they are releasing is not the condensate, it is the water they have been using to cool down whats left of the reactors. your fundamental and almost intentional misunderstanding of the situation is not anyone's fault but your own. also your second "concern" is just... nonsense? you are just explaining dilution and saying it is misleading? yes, the amount of tritium being released will be added to the ocean. it is not being absorbed or magicked away. but it is quite literally a drop of water in the ocean.

[@jeffdroog]

Honestly,anything is correct,if you believe in it hard enough.Thats how we got religions lol

[@manicdan481]

PR teams sure know how to take something simple and make a mess of it. I think it highlights the importance of working with engineers and scientists when trying to make messages for the general public. neither team should be doing it alone, and neither team should be unhappy about the message, if either is, you are not ready to release it to the general public.

[@kevinacla8291]

One of the best documentaries.. Thankyou for sharing this knowledge 😊

[@patjacobsen5570]

Well done Mr. Hill. You do an excellent job of explaining and comparing information.

[@CloudTentacles]

Thank you for posting this, I legitimately was freaking out about "treated water" being put into the ocean, not knowing that other power plants also do this. I hope you're being safe, and thank you again for spreading knowledge to people like me who doesn't understand.

[@Alex-pj8nz]

There is a different, the other plants water didn’t use their water to cool down exposed melted fuel rods. This video is for views only not for facts.

[@edward3190]

yeah they are different water, Rest assured, eventually we will all get a taste of nuke water, through rain, water circulation, food chain. Maybe radioactive isotopes tastes better, who knows. I'm ok with it, we are all equal.

[@Tyrant_8053]

None of the other power plants suffered a nuclear meltdown.

[@MashiroMinus]

@@Alex-pj8nz While you are right that in fukushima's case the water is directly in contact with the corium, but keep in mind that is exactly the reason why advanced liquid processing system is required. Also I feel like I need to point out conventionally there are two types of reactors, and in the case of BWR the core is in water under normal operation, in this regard there really isn't much difference in terms of needing filtration to remove contamination before releasing waste water. Then you have PWR, which is the type that does not have direct water to core contact and hence minimal contamination.

[@Alex-pj8nz]

@@MashiroMinus Need to note down do we even trust the data provided by the Japanese government? What happens if they edited the data so that they can dump the water because it’s the cheapest option.

[@davidhayes4664]

These halflife videos are the best work you ever do. Thank you Kyle and team!

[@dana5865]

That is Japanese kindness to minimize their cost.

[@alexhu7939]

4:43 others release nuclear wasters water, water to cool the steam section externally, not nuclear contaminated water that was used to cool the nuclear core with direct contact! Huge difference!

[@ForbiddTV]

ALPS is effective for all but the tritium, so no difference.

[@guillermodelnoche]

The amount of work you put into each episode is astonishing!

[@h8GW]

Bro just casually goes to 🗾 to visit Fukushima and here I am trying to figure out how I can spend a few days in Akihabara _for years._

[@amj.composer]

I was in Japan a month ago (first time). A BEAUTIFUL place. Akb was insane

[@GildedBird]

Another fantastic entry in the series. This one feels very personal. Great job presenting multiple sides to the story with little to no bias.

[@Indrakusuma_a]

Been waiting for this eagerly since you announced it. Much needed for us who don't have the capability to fully grasp nor understand the whole situation. Thank you for your effort to enlightened us on this matter.

[@QingxueQi]

Thank you for your information! However, I've got some confusions about some of the contents in your video. In 'The Water' section, you put an image (3:16) about the operation of the nuclear plant, and I looked into it. There're two types of water in there and I cared which one was releasing out into the environment, and I saw it's the cooling water in the light blue colour. The image also in this section at 4:07 showed how TEPCO cooled down the reactor after the disaster, where water needed to continuously recirculated into the Primary Contaminated Vessel. This made me think that the cooling water normally released into the environment from the nuclear plant is different from the water that TEPCO is releasing, because cooling water does not flow into the Primary Contaminated Vessel, and that makes me think the water released by TEPCO contains much more radio active substances than cooling water. In your video I feel like the nature of these two waters are mixed up, just to confirm whether my understanding is correct? My second confusion is more simple, about you explaining the dilution, actually I think it's quite misleading. So I wonder, if I want to dilute 1L ink and used 1 ton of water, there's less ink in the diluted solution in one litre (1/1001 concentration), but now I have 1L + 1 ton of solution (1001L), even though 1L of this solution is much clearer, but now I have 1001L in total. In case of releasing treated water, it's the same concept, that it's gonna release 1001L in 30 years instead of release 1L concentrated water in 1 year. In your video explaining about dilution, not only it should consider the concentration, but the total amout as well; if the total amout doesn't change, it's just spending more time to release, but not reducing the amount of nuclear active substance nor radio activity. I generally don't support Japan of releasing the water (whether you call it trater water or contaminated water) into the ocean, because there's lack of transparency and shady acts (e.g. create mascot of Tritium; emphasize Tritium but disregard many more substances like C14 and Se137 that would cause more damage in the long run), and bad reputation of TEPCO that partially caused this disaster in the first place (not wanted to spend money to repair nuclear plant and build safety infrastructures). Also, the IAEA report is questionable as well, about its long disclaimer and the number/range of radio active substances tested. I'm really scared that the water released into the ocean is not as safe as TEPCO stated, but could do nothing about it. As a big influencer like you, please be even more cautious on the content you publish... It really does matter... If there's missing information that might mislead audiences, it would be disastrous...

[@Cristin-u4z]

you are right it is different with cooling water，it is more dangerous. IAEA also said if something happened they have no duty with the JP government did. maybe people can swim in Fukushima 1 hour，and if we leave on time，it is ok. but the fish？ even the Japanese dont eat it. so it changed the ocean is fact

[@lunac466]

I'm not knowledgeable about the mechanics of nuclear plants but as for your second question- Kyle addresses that the total amount of Tritium in the Fukushima Daiichi Power plant's water tanks is less than 3 grams. If they released all the water in their tanks at once it would be about a 0.03% increase to the total amount of the Pacific Ocean's natural amount of Tritium. TEPCO's plans to release the water over the course of 30 years means that by the end of that plan at least half of that Tritium in the treated water would have naturally decayed in the environment. The overall Tritium increase yearly in the Pacific ocean by the power plants water disposal is pretty low as a result. As for the rest of your concerns those all sound pretty valid and it is important to highlight transparency in just what is being disposed of into our environment- not just Tritium but other potential harmful substances. TEPCO is a company after all and there is massive public pressure to produce good face to the public- which may be exacerbating some risk like with bringing the tour group up close to the disaster site and the water demonstrations. I think Kyle did a good job with this video and nothing in it is quite misleading. It's up to the viewer to also exercise discretion and they can form their own opinion.

[@KyleA-kq9sy]

Very good observation. The whole process is not only not transparent but very misleading. A lot of missing parts and manipulation. Japan had leaked out news about many mutant creatures in the area. Very unfortunate Kyle is biased in this report.

[@coolkidim]

@@KyleA-kq9sy Kyle is mostly presenting the data provided by TEPCO. He did mention from his own observation that the radioactive level was higher than expected in the surrounding when he stepped out of the bus and he could have chosen to stay in the bus.

[@coolkidim]

@@lunac466 That 3 gram is a provided sample - there were reporting that on many occasions the "treated" sewage is above legal standards.

[@MrMgreen66]

I trust this information 5 times more than anything mainstream has to say about it.

[@Rasupubegasu]

Same.

[@tomhekker]

Thanks for making these vids. They are super useful to show to friends who are genuinely afraid of stuff like this.

[@aragon2235]

I never imagined i would have such an interest in nuclear science. Yet here i am watching probably over half of your videos and appreciating each one more than the next one. Kyle, people like you are why everyday average people like me take an interest in science. Please keep doing what you're doing! It's very much so appreciated.

[@ioriii_k]

FYI, in the first clip, the man says “Ore no kuruma owatta.”, meaning “My car is gone.”

[@carsonm7292]

I was hoping you'd do a video on this plan. There's so much misinformation on this and your video explains it so clearly. Thanks for making this. I understand the situation much better now.

[@robertkiss8282]

Another solid video and one that's really quite topical at the moment. It was interesting to hear how controlled aspects of this tour were and how they've shaped the information delivery. It will be interesting to see how information on this is delivered over the coming weeks. Regardless, nice work from you and your team on this!

[@lelandshennett]

I was just talking to my family in Alaska about this, they are genuinely worried about the health of our fish. Thank you for keeping us informed on this topic ❤

[@TylerSolvestri]

Good point, In US rivers are heavily polluted and there’s no backlash against

[@montithered4741]

The fish of the coats of Alaska and Canada were harmed more from the Exxon-Valdez oil spill than all nuclear waste combined. Yet Alaska continues to pump oil. “Drill baby drill” will become “drill babies killed”

[@drkclshr]

They arent worried about the microplastics tho

[@zenopsy0149]

They also said there was no meltdown and no danger the day before it exploded.

[@KyleA-kq9sy]

I wish japn was more honest and didn't turn a level 2 accident into a category 7 disaster - the biggest disaster in history .

[@KyleA-kq9sy]

Unfortunately, history is being repeated again. What can we do besides commenting here???

[@Thorhallx]

Please keep making these kind of videos, extremely educational and I love to watch these from you. Keep up the good work.

[@batbee7427]

"This was Bad Radiation Safety." 13:46 Thank you for your honesty, Kyle. Edit: The rest of the video he's kind of talking out of both sides of his mouth.

[@us89na]

100uSv/hour was the peak dose rate encountered, so for the drive in plus 15 minutes outside the bus means the total accumulated dose was probably under 100uSv since most of the trip the dose was in the bus and with lower dose rate. For perspective, Kyle probably got more dose on the flights to/from Japan from the USA (about 50uSv each way).

[@batbee7427]

You're guessing and picking and choosing from the events that happened, and ignoring the (lack of) data you don't like. @@us89na

[@BlueCoolOla]

“Talking out of both sides of his mouth” - I see you’re new to the concept of nuance?

[@batbee7427]

That's not nuance. That's "afraid to get sued" or "afraid of upsetting nuclear fan-boys and disrupting my audience base" @@BlueCoolOla

[@BlueCoolOla]

@@batbee7427 Afraid to get sued? Afraid to get sued by whom? Tepco? The company that's already been justifiably raked across the coals for 12 years straight by hundreds of outlets and never retaliated??? And really, afraid of nuclear fanboys? The guy who constantly talks about nuclear accidents, afraid of nuclear fanboys? PLEASE tell me how that works, I need to know lol

[@ieetpeople4003]

Great video as always, Kyle! I have a question, at 18:35 you mention that the entire Pacific ocean contains 8,000 grams of Tritium. While the waste water at Fukushima only contains 3 grams. Is this per litre, gallon, cubic meter, etc? Or the grand total, which I'm sure it isn't. Fun fact, I'm currently writing my English Composition 2 papers over switching to nuclear power and I used one of your videos, "We solved nuclear waste decades ago", as a source for the argumentative essay. I love your videos and how informative they are, as well as your amazing humor. Half Life series is my favorite!

[@insomniacnomis]

I understand that it's the total, which then makes 3... A lot. Comparing the relative sizes of the pools and the WHOLE Pacific ocean, the concentration differences are huge

[@syntheticat-3]

Replying in case Kyle (or anyone else who knows) responds to this comment, because I also want to know. However, he did say the "total amount of tritium held in Fukushima's water tanks" was 3 grams. I looked up the molar mass of tritium, and it's 3.02g (very close to the estimated amount at Fukushima,) and from an atomic perspective, a mole is still a lot! Considering that it's half-life is also 12 years, and it's been 12 years since the incident, there would have been double that amount at the time of the plant failure. Just a few ways to contextualize/reframe the information

[@Chad_RamRods]

Fantastic, invaluable information as always Kyle. You are perhaps the sole reason that my perspective on nuclear power, as an "everyday joe", has changed so drastically. I am an auto mechanic by trade so ive always had a "healthy curiosity" by all things related to power generation and engineering as a whole. I personally feel that nuclear power has gotten such a bad name overall due to the rare, but most certainly tragic, disasters that occur. You are doing a wonderful job opening eyes such as mine, and presenting cold, hard facts in an engaging fashion. Excellent job sir! I believe that you are doing truly important work. Work with which will one day be looked back on with gratitude and reverence...thank you for you honesty, hard work, engaging presentation, and due diligence. All of which are so incredibly refreshing in modern time.

[@Simple_But_Expensive]

I am not worried about 40 years to get it right. Having lived in Japan as a child, and visited Japanese shipyards many times while in the Navy, I have enormous respect for the Japanese work ethic and attention to detail. What worries me is that the 40 year timeframe leaves plenty of time for corrupt or incompetent influence to enter the process. You already suffered a small impact of that during a simple PR tour. As costs build up and consequences decrease, how much more frequently will this occur? We need an international cleanup organization with the mindset of the human contamination cleanup team from the Monsters Inc. movie. People who are absolutely fanatical about cleanup with far too much authority, a huge budget, and no control authority above them.😈

[@fenrirr22]

Do you understand, that they could dump all of the treated water into the Ocean, and nobody would notice, and no harm would be done? What kind of corruption changes this fact? In reality, the joke, is that they got a fish export ban from China and South Korea purely due to political reasons, and every "green" luddites is lying about this topic, to blemish the nuclear industry, just because they are releasing hundreds of times less tritium in 40 years, than other nations do during normal nuclear operations in weeks (which is still perfectly safe), to a practically infinite container, that has thousands of times more tritium just in the direct vicinity. They should have just dumped the whole thing at once into the ocean, it would have garnered less attention, because people are irrational, and people fear the treated water more exactly because they release it through 40 years, and not less. This is exactly the same when Greenpeace is fearmongering about nuclear waste that will be active for thousands and millions of year, and it works, because people are idiots and they don't understand, that you could live your whole life next to those containers without any adverse health effects, because their activity is so low (and that is why the half-life is that long)

[@AaronFigFront]

well, International Atomic Energy Agency, and the water has met the standards.

[@Simple_But_Expensive]

@@AaronFigFront I agree that the water is ok. IEA is not fanatical enough for the cleanup. I want people who are in your face offensive. People you wouldn’t want to be around. People who shoot first and the only question they ask is “are you dead yet?”. And their only interest in life is cleanup. Make them an organization that can go into any nuclear disaster amywhere and their sole interest is to return the area to pristine. With the power and attitude to curbstomp anyone who gets in their way. Unfortunately, that will never happen. Governments have to rub their stink on everything.

[@emilioperez6888]

@@Simple_But_ExpensiveI don’t think there will be a more neutral and more positioned to clean up the water while being the most expert on the field than the IAEA. Like any human organization, its not perfect. But considering the balance of traits, I’d be best one to do the job. Other countries monitoring this would be worse considering their agendas and biases.

[@Simple_But_Expensive]

@@emilioperez6888 I agree, leaving it up to countries is a problem. I don’t agree that the IAEA is the right group. They are basically a bureaucracy, and don’t have the necessary rights to step on a country’s toes to get the job done. As I said, the group I want is more like the human contamination cleanup team in the Monsters Inc movie. I meant it when I said curbstomp. Can you imagine an IAEA inspector curbstomping anyone? We need kneecappers handling anyone who gets in the way, is incompetent, or corrupt. We need fanatics who aren’t going to get distracted over a 40-50 year cleanup.