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Radioactive material in WPS corals, water baffles experts

Wednesday, December 09, 2020 05:09 AM    Views : 1010by:Lyn Resurreccion

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THE Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) on Monday said that a radioactive material was found to exist in corals and water in the West Philippine Sea.

PNRI Director Carlo Arcilla told a virtual news conference that traces of iodine-129, a radioactive material, was found in corals in the sea.

Arcilla, in a follow-up phone interview with the BusinessMirror, said the radiation “is not dangerous but traceable.”

“The issue is what is it [radioactive substance] doing there? Are there nuclear activities going on in the area, or in North Korea?” he asked.

An online search showed iodine-129 is a long-lived radioisotope of iodine which occurs naturally, but also is of special interest in the monitoring and effects of man-made nuclear fission decay products, where it serves as both tracer and potential radiological contaminant.

The website of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said most iodine-129 in the environment came from nuclear weapons testing.

Atmospheric testing in the 1950s and ’60s released radioactive iodine to the atmosphere, the EPA said.

Arcilla said the iodine-129 level in the WPS is higher than in surrounding areas.

He said, though, that further tests have to be done to determine its source.

Arcilla said the initial finding was made by PNRI scientist Dr. Angel Bautista III as part of his 2016 dissertation at the University of Tokyo on the effects of nuclear activities on the environment.

Bautista’s study involved the monitoring of corals to check if they have radiation, including from the possible effect of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011.

The study found out that the radiation was not from Fukushima, so it might be caused by new activities, Arcilla said.

They might have come from nuclear-powered vessels, he said.

Bautista, in a phone interview, said that based on the history of the corals, they were found to have already had a high level of iodine-129 deposits “from the 1950s to the present.”

“So that means the corals had iodine-129 even before the Fukushima accident occurred in 2011,” Bautista said.

High level in 2020

He said a separate study on the sea water in WPS and other sea water in the country this year also showed WPS has high level of iodine-129.

However, he said that it is yet to be determined if the contamination in the sea water was caused by natural concentration or other sources.

Bautista said he is continuing the studies on the coral and sea water contamination.

According to Arcilla, at the meeting of the Asean network of regulatory bodies on nuclear energy (Aseantom) in Vietnam last month, the countries were “very concerned” when he reported about the findings.

Arcilla disclosed that amid this development, it is important that the Philippines is building 10 environment stations fronting the WPS to check on environmental issues in the area.

He said they were supposed to be built this year but Covid-19 got in the way. They will be built soon.

Funded by the European , he added that more similar stations will be built in other Asean countries since some of these countries are facing the WPS.

The findings will have to be shared among Asean countries as an obligation with Aseantom.

China is claiming WPS, or almost the entire South China Sea, as part of its territory.

The area is home to abundant marine resources, from oil and gas reserves and an ecosystem rich in seafood.

The territorial issue has become an international concern, with the United States saying it stands with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries to uphold a rules-based order that ensures sovereign, sustainable, and productive access to the WPS and its resources.

Beijing has been harassing Filipino fishermen and offshore energy development within the area.

Under the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Award, which China does not recognize, the Philippines enjoys sovereign rights and jurisdiction with respect to the natural resources in its EEZ.

 

Source: Business Mirror Website

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