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Radiotoxicity

Assessing the risk of tritiated water tritium

Nature Sustainability volume 9, pages 12–13 (2026)Cite this article

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Cleanup activities at the Fukushima Daiichi site will include the release of tritium to ocean waters. Although the dose is small compared with natural background radiation, a study now shows that uptake of the tritium by algae and subsequent trophic transfer could potentially result in an increased dose to humans.

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Fig. 1: Comparison of various doses.

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Acknowledgements

B.A.P. acknowledges support from the National Nuclear Security Agency, Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN), Enabling Capabilities in Technology (TECH) Consortium in the preparation of this viewpoint article.

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  1. Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Brian A. Powell

  2. Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Brian A. Powell

  3. Center for Nuclear Environmental Engineering Sciences and Radioactive Waste Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Brian A. Powell

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  1. Brian A. Powell
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Correspondence to Brian A. Powell.

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Powell, B.A. Assessing the risk of tritiated water tritium. Nat Sustain 9, 12–13 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01694-7

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