Home  >  What in the World  >  Is the water from Fukushima dangerous?
What in the World
Is the water from Fukushima dangerous?
What in the World
Aug 25, 2023

Japan has started to release more than a million tonnes of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The United Nations nuclear watchdog says it’s safe - but what actually is in the water? And why has there been so much criticism?

Hannah is joined by Navin Singh Khadka, a BBC World Service environment correspondent and Tessa Wong, a BBC reporter in Singapore to get the answers.

Our health correspondent James Gallagher also explains what exposure to radiation does to our bodies and health - and assesses how dangerous this waste water is.

Also in the episode - Coldplay, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are famous for their huge international tours, but what environmental impact do concerts and festivals have? Jordan Dunbar tells us a bit about what he found out in his episode of The Climate Question podcast. Spoiler alert - it’s the fans, not the private jets.

Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Benita Barden, Alex Rhodes and Julia Ross-Roy Researcher: Dan Eboka Editors: Verity Wilde and Rachael Akidi Okwir

More Episodes
Feb 5, 2025
USAID: Can the world live without it?

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce


13min 08sec




Is the water from Fukushima dangerous?

--:--
--:--