Sunday, December 25, 2011

#Radioactive Concrete Debris (3000 Bq/Kg) OK and Safe to Use in Fukushima Prefecture

What a wonderful present from the Japanese national government to its subjects, particularly those in Fukushima. Instead of coals it gives radioactive concrete bits.

Asahi Shinbun and others report that the Ministry of the Environment, getting bolder by the hour with its 1 trillion yen budget, has decided unilaterally that it is "safe" to use radioactive concrete bits from the March 11 quake/tsunami disaster in Fukushima as substrates under the pavement of the roads and breakwaters in Fukushima.

There will be no effect on the health of residents living nearby, assures the Ministry.

Why are they doing this? Why because they enacted the law that says the radioactive concrete debris in Fukushima to be "recycled".

Why do they have to recycle radioactive debris? Why it's green! Reduces CO2! Kyoto Protocol!

From (still free-of-charge) Asahi Shinbun (12/25/2011):

3千ベクレル以下で再利用可 福島のコンクリートくず

Concrete Debris in Fukushima OK to recycle if the radiation is 3000 becquerels/kg and below

 東日本大震災で福島県内で発生したコンクリートくずの処分をめぐり、環境省は25日、同県内で再利用するための安全基準を「放射性セシウムが1キロあたり3千ベクレル以下」と決めた。基準を満たしたコンクリートなら、厚さ30センチ程度のアスファルトや砂利などを上からかぶせることで安全に再利用できるという。

Regarding the disposal of concrete debris within Fukushima Prefecture generated by the March 11 earthquake/tsunami, the Ministry of the Environment decided on December 25 that the safety standard for the debris to be recycled and reused in Fukushima Prefecture was to be 3000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium and below. As long as the concrete debris tests within the standard, the Ministry says it can be safely reused by pouring asphalt, sand or gravel 30 centimeters thick on top of it.

 環境省は、道路や防波堤への再利用を想定。道路に再利用する場合、地表から30センチより深い部分に使える。この際、周辺住民の年間の追加被曝(ひばく)量は0.01ミリシーベルト以下となり、「健康に影響はない」(廃棄物対策課)としている。

The Ministry of the Environment is envisioning the concrete debris to be used for roads and breakwaters. If used for roads, the debris can be used if more than 30 centimeters deep from the surface. In that case, the additional annual radiation exposure for the residents living nearby will be 0.01 millisievert and less, and therefore "There will be no effect on health".

 福島県内の災害廃棄物は広域処理の対象外で、県内で処理する。コンクリートは、来年1月施行の放射性物質汚染対処特措法の基本方針で再利用が求められていながら、これまで安全基準が示されず、処理が進められない状況だった。

The disaster debris inside Fukushima is not to be the subject of wide area disposal [unlike Miyagi and Iwate debris] and be processed inside the prefecture. As for the concrete debris, the Special Measures for Dealing with Radioactive Materials Contamination, effective as of January next year, calls for the recycling of the concrete debris. However, there was no safety standard as set by the government, and the processing couldn't move forward.

 同省はまた、放射性セシウムが1キロあたり8千ベクレル以下の焼却灰の埋め立て方法について、規制を強めることを決めた。焼却灰が3メートル積み上がるごとに土壌で覆うなど、放射性物質の流出を防ぐ措置を求める。

The Ministry also decided to tighten the regulation on how to bury the ashes containing radioactive cesium at 8000 becquerels/kg and below. The Ministry will call for measures to prevent the leak of radioactive materials by covering the ashes with soil at every 3 meters of the radioactive ashes.

For now, it seems this 3000 becquerels/kg cesium concrete is only for Fukushima Prefecture. But then, the so-called safety standard for the ashes from waste/sludge disposal was only for Fukushima Prefecture in the beginning. It was used as de facto standard for everywhere else, as the Ministry, probably on purpose, did not decide on the safety standard elsewhere. Then after several months of this unofficial standard, it became official for everywhere.

Let's see, what could the citizens of Japan do? They've been protesting, they've been writing, calling, emailing the officials. The government couldn't care less, it simply ignores the subjects whose only worth to the government is that they pay taxes.

Oh, another one. They are enrolled in the national pension scheme (one of the world's largest) from which the government can plunder a huge amount of money. The government has indeed announced it is going to.

27 comments:

netudiant said...

What options does the Ministry have?
My impression is that they recognize that they cannot simply wish this mountain of debris away, so they are planning on burying the material as part of ongoing construction work.
That does not seem irrational to me, although I might wonder about how concrete debris gets made fine enough to be used as roadbed material without massive dust generation.
More broadly, it seems to me that the Japanese leadership is trying everything they can to obfuscate the painful truth that much of Honshu is contaminated for 300 years. Spreading the contamination and raising national exposure standards help narrow the differences between the dirty and the clean parts of Japan. That may be politically essential, to maintain national unity, but I doubt it would be a popular platform on which to stand for election in Japan.

Anonymous said...

They will assign themselves a liberty, netudiant.

The liberty of The Age of Plunder.

Anonymous said...

Wonder when the proclaimation goes out that CANCER is not a disease in Japan? Anyone talking about the contaimination of ground water..from the concrete dust? Its not just 300 years..its really forever for us as a race....

Anonymous said...

AND--TEPCO, Japanese Government will also raise everyone up from the dead..

Wait, didn't someone already do that a few thousand years ago?

Anonymous said...

Fuckin' amazing. Not surprised to hear ANYTHING anymore from TEPCO and the Japanese Government. GENOCIDAL LIARS they are.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't be surprised to see one day some people raising money on Kickstarter to pay a few ninja to clean up the Japanese government.

Anonymous said...

maybe is was posted/commented before, anyways:
がれき受け入れ自治体一覧&マップ one-world.happy-net.jp/ukeire/

Mike said...

At least these materials are being kept in Fukushima rather than redistributed around the country.
Mike

Stock said...

Scathing report on Fukushima and Response in English and Japanese download as PDF.


http://oahutrading.blogspot.com/p/japan-nuclear-information.html

Kim and Kame said...

Maybe I have missed something. Why didnt they just fence off the evacuated areas and just say no one is allowed to live here for another 300 years or so. Isn't that the obvious thing to do? I don't understand why they want to send people back and rebuild. How will Japan deal with all the illnesses that develop in the years to come? Surely this will also be a huge strain on the health system and cost lots of money!

no6ody said...

The Investigation Committee on the Accidents at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station has released a report on the 26th, with an English translation. It is depressing.

"Furthermore, in the initial stage of responses to the Accidents, there were confusions over utilization of monitoring data. In particular, the government lacked an attitude of making the monitoring data promptly available to the public. Even when some data were made public, they were only partial disclosure." page 9

The conclusions are even more depressing.

"Whatever to plan, design and execute, nothing can be done without setting assumptions. At the same time, however, it must be recognized that things beyond assumptions may take place. The Accidents this time present us crucial lessons on how we should be prepared for such incidents beyond assumptions.
The Investigation Committee will continue its investigation and evaluation, bearing in mind that many people are still obliged to spend restricted life in evacuation for a long period of time, suffering from radiation contamination or fears of health due to exposure, contaminated air, soils, water and food." last page, 22

Duuuuhhhhh.

Download the pdf here:
http://icanps.go.jp/eng/

Anonymous said...

Scientists test sick Alaska seals for radiation

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45800485/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Anonymous said...

> Speech at the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th_E_jJnpEM

Anything of importance/interest discussed there?
Was this a hidden recording?

Hélios said...

So, Ultraman, are you on Christmas holidays ?

I hope you are OK.

A bientôt.

Anonymous said...

Ditto..need you!

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't be surprised if he was involved in an "accident"...*cough* I mean, "suicide".

Hélios said...

To anonymus at 12:03 :

Very stupid comment !

Anonymous said...

12:03 PM, you are an "idiot"...*cough* I mean, "tactless moron".

Atomfritz said...

Yes, I really hope Ultraman is fine... without his work it will be way more difficult for us non-Japanese to learn substantially more about what is going on than that cryptic press releases from Tepco.

And there have some in the last days:

27.12.: Tepco increases its demand of financial support for compensation claims from 1 to 1.7 billion Yen:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11122704-e.html

27.12.: After instructed to do some survey, Tepco did some boring and found out that the seismic fault that is located near the Fukushima I and II nuclear plants, last moved only about 120.000 to 130.000 years ago (which is a geologically very short time), instead of being inactive.

Tepco admits through a cloud of diplomatic words that the Fukushima plants probably never would have been built if that fact had been taken into consideration when they were planned.

Tepco press release (with link to PDF document):
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11122709-e.html

26.12.: Tepco announces that electricity bills which were not paid because of evacuation etc have to be paid by March 2012, no more delay allowed.
(Just cash in from the people, even from the evacuated ones...)
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11122604-e.html

Atomfritz said...

27.12.2011: Tepco now apparently said that when they put thermal insulation around the plastic water tubes, they had to exclude (!) those for highly-radioactive water, because of worker safety.

As these tubes are not freezing-resistant, concerns about possible large spills of highly-radioactive water are growing.

(H/T Fukushima Diary)
http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/national/news/CK2011122602000022.html
http://fukushima-diary.com/2011/12/winter-cold-freeze-break-water-purifying-system/

Majia's Blog said...

Japan cannot decontaminate outside of the exclusion zone but is able to pursue a new arms race with the US against China?

http://majiasblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-cold-war-enriches-industries-of.html

Stock said...

5 Point Action Plan to eliminate all nukes, it really is quite simple once you decide this is the goal to accomplish.
Scroll down 1 page to the blue highlighted area
http://oahutrading.blogspot.com/p/japan-nuclear-information.html

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

I've been flat on my back from sciatic nerve pain for 4 days, unable to move.

Anonymous said...

Steveo, "the" thread on Physics Forums got completely wiped out by the admin. Now you understand how full of shit that place is?

ouch42 said...

"I've been flat on my back from sciatic nerve pain for 4 days, unable to move."

F*^%! I know what that's like...

Anonymous said...

(cr here) "sciatic nerve pain for 4 days, unable to move." !

Best wishes for your recovery.

Know any reputable theraputic massage practitioner who makes emergency house calls?
That can help, unless it's not muscular origin and you need a chiropractic adjustment first (and later some massages).

The injustice being inflicted on the Japanese people, and the previously-preventable radiation damage being done in the name of greed to reproductive age people and innocent children is so frustrating I can't read here every day as I used to,
but, you are providing the global community an epic service when honest journalism is in short supply.

Best of luck to you in the new year.

Atomfritz said...

Primavera, glad you are back, so no "accident" happened to you.
Hope your pain will resolve itself and stay away from you for unknown reasons, like my back pains that plagued me long time went away long ago suddenly.
Now, my best wishes, too!

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