#Radiation in Japan: Southern Miyagi's Disaster Debris May Be Too Radioactive

After the Tokyo Metropolitan government merrily signed the agreement with Miyagi Prefecture to accept radioactive disaster debris and burn it in regular incinerators operated by municipal governments all over Tokyo (see my post yesterday), Miyagi Prefecture announces that some of the Miyagi disaster debris may be too radioactive when burned.

So? Mix and burn. Or just send it to Governor Ishihara. He won't care, even if the residents may. He will be happy to receive the highly radioactive ashes from Miyagi and bury them anyway in Tokyo Bay. Mix and bury.

From Jiji Tsushin (11/25/2011; the link won't last):

東日本大震災によるがれきの一部県外処理を目指す宮城県は２５日、沿岸部の１１市町で放射性セシウムの抽出調査を行ったところ、南部の亘理、山元両町の可燃性のがれきが、注意を要する濃度に達していると発表した。ただ、仮置き場での洗浄などの手を尽くし、安全性を確保して引き続き県外での埋め立てを目指すとしている。

Miyagi Prefecture wants to have the disaster debris from the March 11 earthquake/tsunami processed outside the prefecture, but on November 25 the prefectural government announced that the flammable debris in two towns in the southern part of Miyagi, Watari-cho and Yamamoto-cho, has reached the concentration of radioactive cesium that may warrant caution. The prefecture conducted the survey of radioactive cesium in the debris in 11 municipalities along the coast. Still, the Miyagi government says the debris will be thoroughly cleansed in the temporary storage areas to make sure it is safe, and then shipped outside the prefecture to be buried.

　調査では、県の南部地域の濃度が高く、種類別では、微細なちりを吸着しやすい繊維などが含まれているがれきの濃度が高かった。特に、亘理、山元の可燃物の濃度は１キロ当たりそれぞれ３５０、７６９ベクレルと推計した。

According to the survey, the radiation levels in the debris in the southern part of Miyagi are high. By the types, the debris that contains fabric that is prone to attracting minute dusts has high radiation concentration. The flammable debris in Watari and Yamamoto is estimated to have 350 Bq/kg and 769 Bq/kg of radioactive cesium, respectively.

　可燃物は２次仮置き場に移し焼却するが、宮城など被災県は焼却灰の一部を県外で引き受けるよう要請。国のガイドラインによると、放射性セシウムは、焼却によって最大３３倍に濃縮される。亘理、山元の可燃がれきをそのまま焼却すると、国の目安の８０００ベクレルを超える可能性があり、埋め立てなどができない恐れがある。

The flammable debris will be moved to the secondary temporary storage areas and be burned. However, the prefectures that have been hit by the disaster, including Miyagi, has requested that part of the ashes be transported outside the prefectures and processed [buried, recycled]. According to the national guideline, radioactive cesium would be concentrated up to 33 times after burning the debris. If the flammable debris from Watari and Yamamoto were burned on its own, it might exceed the national guideline of 8000 becquerels/kg [of radioactive cesium] and couldn't be buried.

Why do they pretend as if 8000 becquerels/kg from the debris were a big deal, when the Ministry of the Environment has long issued the guideline saying the radioactive debris/garbage may be mixed with debris/garbage not contaminated with radioactive materials (if any in Tohoku and Kanto) so that the radiation gets lowered in the ashes?

Why does Miyagi insist that part of the debris ashes be buried outside Miyagi, anyway?

Well that aside, applying the multiplier (33),

• Yamamoto-cho's debris: 769 x 33 = 25,377 becquerels/kg

• raWatari-cho's debris: 350 x 33 = 11,500 becquerels/kg

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