KUALA LUMPUR: The governments within the Asean region must voice out against the Japanese government's plan to dump nuclear waste water into the Pacific Ocean.
The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), in expressing their grave concern over the matter, said there would be possible severe immediate and long-term implications of the nuclear waste on national waters, as there was no limit to the movement of ocean currents and the migration of marine life.
"Hence, we have to be vigilant about the potential risk of contamination in the food chains as well as to the marine life that pose threats to human health.
"We would like to urge the Malaysian government and Asean authorities to bring up this important issue with their Japanese counterparts.
"The planned release of treated nuclear waste water could potentially cause irreversible damage to the trust of the regional countries and business sectors placed on the Japanese government," the association said in a statement.
ACCCIM added that it had raised concerns to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang, who would set up a meeting between the Malaysian Nuclear Agency and ACCCIM to exchange views and closely monitor further developments.
It also highlighted that there was no official confirmation by prominent medical associations from G7 countries or the Asia Pacific region on the safety of the planned discharge, despite a neutrality report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"According to the nuclear plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power, about 1.3 million tonnes of water would be treated first before being pumped into the ocean, except for the radioactive element tritium which is difficult to separate from water.
"The concern is once the radioactive tritium gets inside the body cells over an extended period, the damage could only be visible years later.
"Malaysians still have vivid memories of the severe health implications of the radioactive waste products of the Asian Rare Earth Factory in Bukit Merah, Perak.
"The factory started operations in 1982 but was forced to shut down in 1994 over its radioactive waste and legal battles surrounding its operations."
ACCCIM claimed that reports of birth defects and leukaemia had surged within the five years of the refinery's operations, despite statements by experts confirming its safety.
"ACCCIM sincerely hopes that the Japanese government would take into account public concerns in regional countries before making the final decision to discharge the nuclear water into the ocean for the next 30 to 40 years.
"The long term human health concerns outweigh all other considerations."