Inspection of aquatic products imported from Japan
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In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department is conducting comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
From noon on May 20 to noon today (May 21), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 99 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website (www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 229 459 samples of food imported from Japan (including 144 502 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 49 688 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.
Issued at HKT 15:50
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Tritium monitoring in the Sea of Okhotsk: A case study of Aniva Bay (Sakhalin Island) after the Fukushima Daiichi NPP water discharge
Marine Pollution Bulletin
The paper presents the results of seasonal monitoring of tritium concentration in atmospheric precipitation and coastal waters of Aniva Bay (southern Sakhalin Island, Russia) from March 2024 to April 2025, following the commencement of controlled discharge of tritium-containing water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) storage tanks. Sampling of precipitation (rain, snow) and seawater was conducted in the coastal zone and on land, with tritium activity determined by low-background liquid scintillation spectrometry after electrolytic enrichment. Tritium concentrations ranged from 4.7 to 13.2 TU in precipitation and from 1.1 to 4.5 TU in seawater. A positive correlation was found between tritium concentration in coastal seawater and the amount of precipitation (r = 0.59), supporting the role of hydrometeorological factors in shaping the seasonal dynamics of the isotope. The obtained results do not indicate any impact of the Fukushima Daiichi discharges on the radiological conditions of Aniva Bay during the study period.
