International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) worried about Japan’s radioactive cleanup problems

the report noted that a lack of available disposal sites for radioactive waste will “unduly limit and hamper successful remediation activities, thus potentially jeopardizing public health and safety.”

Nuclear Agency Urges Japan to Fix Cleanup Plan, WSJ , 15 Oct 11, By MITSURU OBE, TOKYO—The International Atomic Energy Agency, in a report released Friday, urged Japan to take a more focused and realistic approach to dealing with radioactive contamination in areas around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, amid signs the Japanese government is becoming overwhelmed by public demands for decontamination.

“They are encouraged to avoid over-conservatism which could not effectively contribute to the reduction of exposure doses,” said the report produced by a 12-member team of experts dispatched by the IAEA. The mission visited various decontamination projects undertaken by the government and local authorities over the past nine days.

Last month, the Japanese environment ministry released an estimate that more than 960 square miles, or 2,400 square kilometers, of land would have to be decontaminated to achieve an annual radiation exposure limit of 5 millisieverts. The government estimates this would cost more than ¥1 trillion, or about $13 billion. The majority of the area is sparsely populated woodland.

The ministry is under pressure to bring down the annual exposure limit even further, to 1 millisievert, a move that would increase the amount of decontamination work needing government funding.

But the report noted that a lack of available disposal sites for radioactive waste will “unduly limit and hamper successful remediation activities, thus potentially jeopardizing public health and safety.” The IAEA mission urged Japan to set more realistic goals and adopt decontamination methods that are easier to implement, such as burying contaminated top soil underground rather than removing it altogether…..

Mr. Lentijo said not only financial costs should be considered, but also the time needed, the waste created and the exposure to workers, he stressed.

The report also called for a greater involvement of local authorities and communities, given the enormity of the challenge…..

Decontamination is an urgent task for Japan, as its food exports are continuing to suffer a serious safety image problem overseas. Japanese trade and industry minister Yukio Edano was in China on Friday to ask the country to buy Japanese fishery and farm products. Exports of these items to China, one of Japan’s main markets, were down more than 30% from the previous year in August.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203914304576631002932214520.html