Japan releases radioactive water into the sea, Chinese people rush to buy salt to stock up

On August 24, Japan began discharging more than 1 million tons of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.

Tokyo insists the release is safe. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, gave the green light to the plan in July. However, governments and residents in the region have expressed skepticism and opposition.

People buy salt at a supermarket in Shanghai on August 24.

SHINE.CN SCREENSHOT

In China, consumers rushed to supermarkets to stock up on salt amid concerns that the release of water from Japan would pollute the ocean and affect the quality of the salt. According to Shine.cn , some types of salt quickly sold out and supermarkets had to limit customers to two jars per day per person.

Online retailers in many regions also reported selling out of stock within the day. According to Bloomberg, the stock prices of Chinese salt producers skyrocketed on August 24.

Salt shelves at supermarkets in Hong Kong are also empty.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST SCREENSHOT

Similarly, consumers in Hong Kong are rushing to buy salt. According to the South China Morning Post , salt shelves in many supermarkets are quickly cleared, and some people keep returning to check if the supermarket has restocked.

China can produce 50 million tons of table salt a year, much larger than its consumption of only about 12 million tons, according to Wang Xiaoqing, chairman of the China Salt Association.

People buy salt in Dao district, Hunan province (China)

Speaking on television on August 25, Mr. Wang affirmed that domestic supplies remain abundant. The Shandong Salt Industry Association said there are more than 170,000 tons in storage, enough to supply the entire region for more than six months. This supply is mainly produced from underground salt mines.

Bloomberg quoted a statement late on August 24 from the China National Salt Industry Corporation, the country’s largest salt producer, saying that nearly 90% of domestically produced table salt comes from salt mines, while sea salt accounts for only 10%. The group urged consumers to shop wisely and claimed that the supply was large, while the shortage was only temporary.

On August 25, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which operates the Fukushima nuclear power plant, said that the radioactive tritium content in seawater was much lower than the limit, according to The Japan Times. Specifically, Tepco's survey results at 10 locations near where treated contaminated water was discharged into the Pacific Ocean showed that the tritium content in seawater was 10 becquerels per liter, much lower than the threshold of 700 becquerels per liter.

"By promptly sharing the survey results, we hope to help allay people's concerns," said Tepco spokesman Keisuke Matsuo.

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