The Silent Menace Sinking into the Sea--A History of Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Waste (1959-1993)

The Silent Menace Sinking into the Sea--A History of Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Waste (1959-1993)

The dumping of radioactive waste at sea by Russia and the former Soviet Union has been a serious environmental problem in the past, attracting international attention. Especially in the northern sea areas (Baltic Sea, White Sea, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, etc.), approximately 879 terabecquerels (TBq) of liquid waste and 574 TBq of solid waste were dumped between 1959 and 1992. These wastes were generated by the nuclear fleet of the Northern Fleet and the Murmansk Shipping Corporation. In addition, approximately 456 TBq of liquid waste and 252 TBq of solid waste were dumped in Far Eastern waters (Sea of Japan, off the southeast coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, etc.) between 1966 and 1992. These wastes are believed to have come from the Pacific Fleet and were dumped in the Far East waters, including the Sea of Japan.

Of particular concern was an incident on October 17, 1993, when the Russian Navy dumped approximately 900 cubic meters of liquid radioactive waste in the Sea of Japan, approximately 200 kilometers southeast of Vladivostok. The dumping drew international criticism and led the Russian government to cancel the planned re-dumping. This incident became a major environmental problem for neighboring countries, including Japan, and triggered an increased discussion in the international community on how to dispose of radioactive waste.

Not only Russia but also Western countries dumped radioactive waste at sea: between 1950 and 1963, the United Kingdom and Belgium dumped approximately 28,500 drums of nuclear waste in the English Channel, and recent investigations have confirmed that these drums remain on the sea floor. Between 1946 and 1982, the United States and European countries also dumped radioactive waste into the ocean. These dumping practices later became the background for stricter international regulations.

The London Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, adopted in 1972, regulates the dumping of hazardous wastes, including radioactive wastes. The 1993 amendment banned the dumping of all radioactive materials into the ocean. This amendment prompted countries to seek alternative waste management methods to ocean dumping.

In Japan, methods such as in-space disposal, ocean dumping, and ice sheet disposal were considered, but ultimately geological disposal was deemed the most appropriate. The Japanese government and related organizations have been promoting the implementation of geological disposal as a disposal method for high-level radioactive waste, in which the waste is stably contained deep underground.

Russia and the former Soviet Union dumped large quantities of radioactive waste in the Northern and Far Eastern seas from 1959 to 1992. The 1993 dumping incident in the Sea of Japan in particular drew international criticism and led to the suspension of further dumping. Western countries also dumped radioactive waste in the ocean from the 1950s to the 1980s, and dumping of radioactive waste in the ocean has been a global problem. Today, the dumping of radioactive waste at sea is completely prohibited under the revised London Convention.