Members of fishermen's organizations hold a protest outside the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong on Aug 23, 2023 in response to Japan's decision to release wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean from Aug 24. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong’s medical experts, social groups and fishermen on Wednesday reacted furiously to the Japanese government’s decision to release radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Relaying his concerns to China Daily, Chow Pak-chin, a respected ophthalmologist and president of think tank Wisdom Hong Kong, advised the public, particularly youngsters, not to consume Japanese food, especially aquatic products, in view of the health hazard of radioactive waste, which is believed to be linked to cancers, leukemia and damage to organs such as the liver, digestive tract and thyroid.

Speaking on a local radio program on Wednesday, Chairman of the Hong Kong Nuclear Society Luk Bing-lam, said nuclear wastewater will be produced as long as the Japanese government leaves the melted reactor core at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Members of the Hong Kong Federation of Fujian Associations hold a protest outside the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong on Aug 23, 2023 in response to Japan's decision to release wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean from Aug 24. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Radioactive wastewater in the size of a swimming pool will be generated each month, Luk said. Releasing the wastewater into ocean is the easiest and less expensive way for Japanese government to deal with the issue, since taking out the melted core will be costly and takes a long time, Luk said.

The irresponsible plan is set to cripple fishermen’s livelihoods and pollute the ocean, head of the Aberdeen Coast Ling Fisheries Association Kowk Sap-chai told China Daily while staging a protest with a dozen other fishermen outside the Consulate-General of Japan in Central, Hong Kong on Wednesday

Luk, who visited the nuclear power plant, which was damaged by a tsunami in 2011, agreed that a third-party international independent monitoring mechanism should be established, as proposed by China, in order to make sure the wastewater treatment is carried out as planned. Earlier, China requested Japan not to go ahead with the discharge plan before the establishment of a long-term monitoring mechanism, stressing that the discharge plan should also be halted once the wastewater were found to have abnormal data after being treated.

Head of the Aberdeen Coast Ling Fisheries Association Kowk Sap-chai, who has been in the trade for decades, relayed “grave concerns” by the city’s fishermen over Japan’s plan to discharge nuke wastewater into the ocean.

The irresponsible plan is set to cripple fishermen’s livelihoods and pollute the ocean, Kowk told China Daily while staging a protest with a dozen other fishermen outside the Consulate-General of Japan in Central, Hong Kong on Wednesday.

ALSO READ: HK bans Japanese food products over nuke water discharge plan

Once the wastewater is discharged into the ocean, there is no turning back and it is almost impossible to seek claims after pollution is detected, he noted.

Joining the protest rally, another fisherman surnamed Leung from the Hong Kong Trawler Association said he was deeply concerned about the expected effect on seafood sales brought about by Japan’s move, which is set to cast a shadow on the consumption of seafood. Leung said he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to make ends meet or even afford the operation costs of his trawler.

Members of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong hold a protest outside the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong on Aug 23, 2023 in response to Japan's decision to release wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean from Aug 24. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Also flagging the health risks, Charles Ng Chak-chuen, a private doctor in Hong Kong and a medical graduate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, said radioactive nucleotides, which are definitely carcinogenic according to WHO, emitted from the nuclear wastewater will enter the food chain and affect millions of people. Eating radioactively contaminated marine food over an extended period of time will result in cumulatively hazardous doses, with devastating effects on pregnant women, children and elderlies, he noted.

Also flagging the health risks, Charles Ng Chak-chuen, a private doctor in Hong Kong and a medical graduate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, said radioactive nucleotides, which are definitely carcinogenic according to WHO, emitted from the nuclear wastewater will enter the food chain and affect millions of people

“There is also an unspoken yet important pathway of radioactive waste leakage into crop irrigation, soil and animal feeds across waters of the region, including the Pacific islands,” Ng cautioned.

Other groups and politicians raising their voice in protest include the New Territories Association of Societies (NTAS), the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, and lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan.

Quat criticized the Japanese government for disregarding international concerns regarding the legitimacy of the ocean discharge plan, the reliability of purification devices, and the adequacy of monitoring measures.

She said despite these concerns, Japan is continuing to push forward with the ocean discharge plan, displaying extreme selfishness and shamelessness by disregarding the ecological safety of the global oceans and the health of people worldwide.

Quat urged the Japanese government to explore alternative, safer, and more effective methods for handling nuclear wastewater, to accept rigorous international monitoring, and to halt the implementation of the ocean discharge plan.

NTAS in a statement on Wednesday said Japan is being “extremely selfish and utterly irresponsible” for discharging wastewater into the ocean before reaching a consensus by the international community.

READ MORE: Various sectors in HK oppose Japan nuke water discharge plan

NTAS welcomed the Hong Kong SAR government’s move to impose a food ban of aquatic products from 10 Japanese prefectures. The move is correctto safeguard the city’s public health, the statement read. 

Calvin Ng contributed to the story.