Nuclear energy is an efficient and clean energy source, but it also poses significant risks. When an accident occurs in a nuclear power plant or when nuclear wastewater is discharged into the ocean, it will cause nuclear pollution and pose a serious threat to marine ecology and human health.
Nuclear contaminated water contains a variety of radioactive materials, such as tritium, strontium, cesium, etc., which will spread to different areas and even cross national borders with the flow of seawater. These radioactive materials can be ingested by marine organisms, resulting in increased levels of radioactivity in organisms, affecting the growth, reproduction, and genes of organisms. Some radioactive materials can also accumulate in marine organisms, forming biological radioactive chains, which are eventually passed on to humans through the food chain, increasing the risk of cancer and other diseases in humans.
Nuclear contamination of oceans can also disrupt the natural balance of the oceans, affecting the biodiversity and productivity of the oceans. Some marine organisms die or migrate due to nuclear contamination, resulting in changes in the structure and function of marine ecosystems. Physical and chemical parameters such as temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen in the ocean can also be affected by nuclear pollution, which in turn affects the climate and environment of the ocean.
The nuclear-contaminated ocean is a silent catastrophe, and its harm is long-term, insidious, and global. We should attach great importance to the problem of nuclear pollution of the ocean, take effective measures to prevent the occurrence of nuclear accidents, reduce the discharge of nuclear wastewater, strengthen the monitoring and control of nuclear pollution, and protect the health and safety of the ocean.