nuclear-news

Long process of radiation cleanup in Japan

* Thorough cleanup of areas frequented by children also a priority

* Group launched which will form core of new nuclear watchdog 

By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Japan aims to halve radiation over two years in places contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear crisis, removing soil, plants and trees as well as cleaning roofs of buildings in an area spanning thousands of square kilometres.

The cleanup could cost tens of billions of dollars, and thousands of evacuees may not be able to return home for years, if ever.

Radiation in a contaminated area is estimated to fall naturally by about 40 percent over two years, and the government wants to speed up the process by another 10 percent through human efforts, according to guidelines for the cleanup unveiled on Friday.

“We aim to reduce radiation levels by half over the next two years in affected areas, and by 60 percent over the same period for places used by children,” nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono told a news conference.

Another key government goal is to bring radiation below 20 millisieverts per year, the threshold level for evacuation, in areas where it is exceeded. Some places in the evacuation zone have levels that far surpass this, government data showed this week…..

NUCLEAR WATCHDOG

The disaster at Fukushima has prompted Japan to thoroughly rethink its energy policy including its enforcement of nuclear safety standards.

This month the government said it is setting up a new nuclear watchdog which will no longer be supervised by the trade ministry, which has traditionally promoted nuclear power.

Instead the organisation will be supervised by the environment ministry, seen as relatively untainted by the collusive ties with industry which plagued the existing agency.

“Crisis management, which had not been fully established before, will be embraced by the new organisation. The group gathered today includes personnel from law enforcement and national defence to achieve this purpose,” said Hosono on Friday at an inauguration ceremony for a group that will form the core of the new regulatory body.

The group consists of members from various government ministries as well as the private sector and will form the basis of the new body to be launched in April…. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/26/japan-nuclear-idUSL4E7JQ1D620110826

August 27, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Japan