nuclear-news

Irradiated area land in Japan larger than greater Tokyo

Japan reveals huge size of Fukushima clean-up area, Irish Times, 29 Sept 11DAVID McNEILL in Tokyo JAPAN HAS revealed that the clean-up of land irradiated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster could stretch to an area larger than greater Tokyo.

Removing topsoil containing caesium and other contaminants is likely to leave a pile of nuclear waste almost 29 million cubic metres high – enough to fill one of the city’s largest stadiums 80 times, says a government report released this week.

The March 11th earthquake and tsunami triggered a triple meltdown and a series of explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant that showered the surrounding prefectures with radioactive materials.

Decontamination work from the world’s worst nuclear accident in 25 years could extend to a 2,400sq km (930sq miles) zone across the four worst affected prefectures, according to the environment ministry report, the first official assessment.

That’s an area roughly the size of Co Wexford.

Experts have advised the government that about 5cm of topsoil would have to be excavated to make the land safe. The laborious decontamination process will also involve removing leaves and dirt from woodland, which covers 60-70 per cent of the affected area……

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0929/1224304933758.html

October 4, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | - Fukushima 2011, environment, Japan