Monday, February 13, 2012

58,000 Bq/Kg of Cesium in Recycled Farm Soil in Chiba: Unthinking, Mind-Numbing Urge to Recycle Even After Nuclear Disaster

A "third sector" company in Chiba was recycling the soil from the plastic greenhouses and selling it to plant nurseries, until 57,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was found recently.

From Jiji Tsushin (2/13/2012):

千葉県などが出資する第三セクター「千葉園芸プラスチック加工」(同県東金市)は13日、県内農家から集めた使用済みビニールハウスから洗い落とした土140トンから、国が指定廃棄物として定める1キロ当たり8000ベクレルの約7倍に当たる1キロ当たり最大5万8000ベクレルの放射性セシウムが検出されたと発表した。

Chiba Engei Plastic Kako (Chiba Horticultural Plastic Processing) in Togane City in Chiba Prefecture, a third-sector company with investment from the Chiba prefectural government, announced on February 13 that the maximum 58,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was found from 140 tonnes of dirt that had been washed off from the used plastic greenhouses the company had collected from farmers in Chiba. The amount of radioactive cesium is more than 7 times the amount allowed by the national standard for regular disposal which is 8,000 becquerels/kg.

 同社は、使用済みビニールハウスを洗浄しリサイクル処理している。土は既に市内7カ所の植木畑に運び込まれているが、今後全て回収し、同社施設内で県の指導に従い保管する。洗浄に使った水は浄化処理をしており、放射性物質は検出されなかった。

The company washes down the dirt off the used plastic greenhouses and recycles the dirt collected. The dirt has already been brought in at 7 plant nurseries. The company plans to recall all the dirt, and will store it in the company's facilities according to the guidance from the prefectural government. The water used for washing was treated, and no radioactive materials were detected.

After I tweeted the Jiji news yesterday, people immediately dug up information of this company. It turns out the company is one of three that was partially owned and operated by the agricultural producer co-op, JA, in Chiba Prefecture. But on the JA Chiba's website, the company has gone missing. One person searched the cache, and found that the JA's site had this company on the page until January 29.

My guess is that's when they found out about radioactive cesium in the recycled dirt, but had kept quiet for 2 weeks.

The JA Chiba has two other "subsidiaries", no doubt third-sector companies: LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) company and a funeral home.

By the way, Chiba's governor is an ex-TV actor turned politician, a mind-numbingly unthinking person who uses his stage name instead of his real name (really, very pedestrian).

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, there is this saying, "you get the goverment you deserve" and if the Japanese like to vote for such nitwits as this guy ( and all the others ), you can not expect much. This is what the Japanses voted for, so this is what you get...
What really flabbergassed me, is that the Japanese keep voting for these ( pro nuclear ) nitwits after 11 March. Are they brain dead ? That is something that is really worrysome, because as long as these clowns keep beeing in charge, Japan will go down more and more.
To changes things, it always brings unsecure feelings and can be painful. It seems to me that the Japanese want to avoid any change at any cost. Well, that's not correct, (still) too many Japanese, I should say.
I just wonder how long and how much it will take before they ( the majority of the Japanese ) start to realise this. Or in other words: How many deads will it take...

Chibaguy said...

I wonder how one recalls dirt.

@anon 2:18

Yes, most of the Japanese are not awake. They are still in the denial phase as they thought their reps would protect them. It is not just here though.

Anonymous said...

Is there no end to this dumbfuckery?

Dontcha just lurve how a new paradigm plays out. We wrigglea and writhe trying to deny the new reality.
Inspire the next.

Anonymous said...

No the Japanese are certainly not awake and they are sleepwalking to oblivion, they have themselves to blame as they sat idly by while the house burnt down around their ears so to speak.... Ever wondered why Ishihara the Racist Nazi mayor of Tokyo keeps getting voted in?, well the Tokyo people consistently voted him in....they got what they deserved there ..

Anonymous said...

You have a TV brainwashed, sleep-deprived public that has NO, and I repeat, NO CRITICAL THINKING skills.

They elect politicians based on who has the nicest campaign poster smile, and have no idea what democracy or "rights" mean.

No, it is no wonder, and yes, they get exactly what they deserve in leadership.

It is pathetic, really.

Anonymous said...

Who cares about any of this. These dumb asses are going to keep lying and people will keep on dying.

The real concerns should be the other nuke plants that are as bad as Fuckushima. They have melted down, too. All the radiation around Japan is not just from Fuckushima!

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