Editing Tritium (section)

=== Fission ===
Tritium is an uncommon product of the [[nuclear fission]] of [[uranium-235]], [[plutonium-239]], and [[uranium-233]], with a production of about one atom per 10{{sup|4}} fissions.<ref name=anl>
{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.ead.anl.gov/pub/doc/tritium.pdf
 |title       = Tritium (Hydrogen-3) – Human Health Fact sheet
 |date        = August 2005
 |access-date = 19 September 2010
 |publisher   = [[Argonne National Laboratory]]
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100208152633/http://www.ead.anl.gov/pub/doc/tritium.pdf
 |archive-date = 8 February 2010
 }}
</ref><ref>
{{cite conference
 | last1 = Serot    | first1 = O.
 | last2 = Wagemans | first2 = C.
 | last3 = Heyse    | first3 = J.
 | title = AIP Conference Proceedings
 | year = 2005
 | chapter = New results on helium and tritium gas production from ternary fission
 | conference = International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology
 | series = AIP Conference Proceedings
 | publisher = [[American Institute of Physics]]
 | volume = 769  | pages = 857–860
 | doi = 10.1063/1.1945141  | bibcode = 2005AIPC..769..857S
}}</ref> The main pathways of tritium production include [[ternary fission]]. The release or recovery of tritium needs to be considered in the operation of [[nuclear reactor]]s, especially in the [[nuclear reprocessing|reprocessing of nuclear fuel]] and storage of [[spent nuclear fuel]]. The production of tritium is not a goal, but a side-effect. It is discharged to the atmosphere in small quantities by some nuclear power plants.<ref name="National Academies Press">
{{cite book
 |title=Effluent Releases from Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel-Cycle Facilities
 |date=29 March 2012
 |publisher=National Academies Press (US)
 |language=en
 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201991/
}}
</ref> [[Nuclear reprocessing#Voloxidation|Voloxidation]] is an optional additional step in nuclear reprocessing that removes volatile fission products (such as all isotopes of hydrogen) before an aqueous process begins. This would in principle enable economic recovery of the produced tritium but even if the tritium is only disposed and not used, it has the potential to reduce tritium contamination in the water used, reducing radioactivity released when the water is discharged since [[tritiated water]] cannot be removed from "ordinary" water except by isotope separation.
{{Annual discharge of tritium from nuclear facilities}}
Given the [[specific activity]] of tritium at {{convert|9650|Ci/g|TBq/g}}, one [[Becquerel|TBq]] is equivalent to roughly {{convert|2.8|mg}}.

==== Fukushima Daiichi ====
{{main|Fukushima disaster cleanup}}
In June 2016 the Tritiated Water Task Force released a report<ref name=TWTFR>
{{cite report 
 |title=Tritiated Water Task Force Report
 |website=www.meti.go.jp/english  |lang=en
 |publisher=Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
 |place=Tokyo, Japan
 |url=http://www.meti.go.jp/english/earthquake/nuclear/decommissioning/pdf/20160915_01a.pdf
}}
</ref> on the status of tritium in tritiated water at [[Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster|Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant]], as part of considering options for final disposal of the stored contaminated cooling water. This identified that the March 2016 holding of tritium on-site was 760&nbsp;[[Becquerel|TBq]] (equivalent to 2.1&nbsp;g of tritium or 14&nbsp;mL of pure tritiated water) in a total of 860,000&nbsp;m{{sup|3}} of stored water. This report also identified the reducing concentration of tritium in the water extracted from the buildings etc. for storage, seeing a factor of ten decrease over the five years considered (2011–2016), 3.3&nbsp;MBq/L to 0.3&nbsp;MBq/L (after correction for the 5% annual decay of tritium).

According to a report by an expert panel considering the best approach to dealing with this issue, "[[Heavy water#Production|Tritium could be separated theoretically]], but there is no practical separation technology on an industrial scale. Accordingly, a controlled environmental release is said to be the best way to treat low-tritium-concentration water."<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=JP Gov "No drastic technology to remove Tritium was found in internationally collected knowledge"
 |date=December 2013
 |website=Fukushima Diary
 |url=http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/12/jp-gov-no-drastic-technology-to-remove-tritium-was-found-in-internationally-collected-knowledge/
}}
</ref> After a public information campaign sponsored by the Japanese government, the gradual release into the sea of the tritiated water began on 24 August 2023 and is the first of four releases through March 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-08-26 |title=The science behind the Fukushima waste water release |language=en-GB |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66610977 |access-date=2023-12-19}}</ref> The entire process will take "decades" to complete.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCurry |first1=Justin |title=Rosy-cheeked face of tritium dropped from Fukushima's publicity drive |work=[[the Guardian]] |date=16 April 2021 |page=29}}</ref> China reacted with protest.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/14/china-japan-fukushima-water-drink/| title = China to Japanese official: If treated radioactive water from Fukushima is safe, 'please drink it' - The Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/japan-faces-growing-pressure-to-rethink-releasing-fukushimas-wastewater-into-ocean/|title = Japan Faces Growing Pressure to Rethink Releasing Fukushima's Wastewater into Ocean}}</ref>
The IAEA has endorsed the plan. The water released is diluted to reduce the tritium concentration to less than 1500 Bq/L, far below the limit recommended in drinking water by the WHO.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3129412/why-japan-going-dump-radioactive-water-fukushima-nuclear-plant|title=Why is Japan dumping radioactive water at sea?|date=13 April 2021}}</ref>