#Radioactive Leaf Compost Spreads to Schools

possibly irradiating children as they planted flowers as part of school curriculum.

Ever since the March 11 start of the Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident, unthinking, order-following school teachers and administrators throughout Japan from kindergarten/nursery school on (with a few exceptions) have made small children:

• pick tea leaves which turned out to be highly radioactive (in one case in Ibaraki, they made them eat the tempura made out of the leaves);

• participate in outdoor PE classes with the threat that they wouldn't get good grades if they (or their parents) refuse;

• clean the school yard, pulling weeds and sweeping;

• clean out the swimming pools with sludges which turned out to be highly radioactive;

• plant rice seedlings in rice paddies with bare feet (this was done throughout Japan, high radiation or not);

• eat school lunches using beef which turned out to be highly radioactive, despite protests from informed parents and labeling such parents as "monsters" for causing totally unwarranted fuss;

• go to summer schools located in high radiation areas.

Now the latest: they made them plant flowers using the leaf compost which turned out to be highly radioactive.

As journalist Takashi Hirose said, they are "killing the children".

First, from Shinano Mainichi Shinbun (local paper in Nagano Prefecture, 8/2/2011):

県内で高濃度の放射性物質を含む可能性がある腐葉土の製品が流通していた問題で、北信地方の小中学校計２校が同じ製品４０袋余（１袋１４リットル入り）を使っていたことが３１日分かった。県農政部によると、プランターで花を栽培するのに使ったという。同部は両校に対し児童生徒が近づかない場所に置くよう指導したとしている。

The leaf compost that may contain high concentration of radioactive materials have been sold in the Prefecture. On July 31, it was discovered that one elementary school and one junior high school used the total of 40 bags (14 liters per bag) of the compost. According to the Prefecture's agricultural division, the schools used it in planters to grow flowers. The division says it has instructed the schools to move the planters away from school children.

　両校から県に２９日に相談が寄せられ、判明した。県は校名は公表していない。

The schools contacted the Prefecture for advice on July 29. The names of the schools haven't been disclosed.

　製品は、カインズ（群馬県高崎市）がホームセンター「カインズホーム」の長野県内の１４店で販売した「バーク入り腐葉土１４Ｌ」。同部によると、小学校は６月下旬に約１０袋を県内店舗で購入し、キクを栽培するプランターに土と混ぜて入れた。中学校は花の栽培に３０～４０袋を使った。

The compost was sold at at Cainz Home's 14 stores in Nagano Prefecture. According to the agricultural division of the Prefecture, the elementary school purchased 10 bags in late June and mixed it with potting soil to grow chrysanthemums in planters. The junior high school used 30 to 40 bags to grow flowers.

　この製品は鳥取県の調査で、鳥取市内の店舗が販売した製品から１キロ当たり１万４８００ベクレルの放射性セシウムが検出された。カインズによると、長野県内では東日本大震災後、販売を自粛した７月２７日までに約１万３００袋を販売したという。

14,800 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium have been detected from this compost, as tested by Tottori Prefecture. According to Cainz, 13,000 bags of the same compost had been sold in Nagano since the March 11 earthquake until July 27, when the company voluntarily stopped selling.

And from Shikoku Shinbun (local paper in Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku, 8/1/2011):

　香川県内３小学校で放射性セシウムに汚染された栃木県産の腐葉土が栽培学習に使われていた問題で、児童がプランターで菊を栽培していた綾川町の昭和小学校（中塚正則校長）は３１日夜、同校で保護者説明会を開いた。学校側は保護者の意見を踏まえ、腐葉土の廃棄処分を決定。説明会後、教職員が全保護者に対してメールや電話で連絡に当たった。

Concerning the radioactive leaf compost made in Tochigi Prefecture that was used in the schools' cultivation classes at 3 elementary schools in Kagawa Prefecture, one of the schools, Showa Elementary School in Ayagawa-cho (Principal Masanori Nakatsuka) held a meeting with the parents on July 31 night. The school listened to the parents and decided to discard the leaf compost. After the meeting, teachers and school administrators contacted all parents by email and phone calls.

　会には、保護者約３５人が出席。中塚校長と杉村和則町教育長らが説明に立った。

35 parents attended the meeting, in which Principal Nakatsuka and Kazunori Sugimura, head of the town's Board of Education explained the situation.

　冒頭、学校と町教委側が「ご心配をおかけしたことを心からおわびしたい」と述べ、「一人でも廃棄処分を求める声があれば、そうしたい」との考えを示した。

They said, "We want to apologize for having caused you much anxiety. If there is one parent who wants to have [the compost] discarded, we will."

　その後、中塚校長が栽培学習の内容や事態把握までの経緯を説明。同日午前中に腐葉土を使ったプランター約４００鉢を、立ち入り禁止のロープを張った場所に移したことも報告した。

Then, the principal explained what the school's cultivation class was, and how the school became aware of the problem [of the radioactive compost]. He also reported that 400 planters that used the leaf compost had been moved to a location that morning and the school cordoned off the place.

　質疑応答では、保護者から「健康に問題ないというが、やはり不安」「きちんと処分し、家庭や学校で子どもに説明するのが教育」などの声が上がったため、中塚校長が廃棄処分することをその場で伝えた。

In Q&A session, parents said "We still worry even if you say there is no effect on health", and "It will be educational if we dispose it properly, and explain to our children at home and at school". The principal promised to dispose the leaf compost.

　校長は「一生懸命菊を育ててきた子どもの心のケアに努めるとともに、処分方法については県に相談しながら対応したい」としている。同校では６月上旬、３～６年の児童１７９人が菊の鉢植え作業を行っていた。

The principle also said, "We will try our best to care for the psychological effect on children who have been growing chrysanthemum with great care. We will consult the prefectural government on the disposal." 179 pupils in 3rd to 6th grades planted chrysanthemums in the planters, using the compost.

Shikoku Shinbun reports that the prefectural government received only 4 inquiries from the residents on July 31.

Well, Mr. Nakatsuka, before you care for the psychological ill-effect, why don't you apologize to the pupils for having exposed them to physical ill-effect - radiation?

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