(UPDATED) Ashes from Sewer Sludge with 16,670 Bq/kg Cesium Dumped in the Final Disposal Site in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture

Kiryu City's assemblyman Hidenori Nishimaki and Assemblywoman Yuki Niwayama visited the final disposal site for sewer sludge and took some pictures. The site is maintained by the city's water department.

First, this is how the ashes from burning the sewer sludge from May and June last year is stored safely. The ashes from May were found with 16,670 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium, and the ashes from June with 9,623 becquerels/kg, says Assemblyman Nishimaki. If you think they are not supposed to dump the ashes with more than 8,000 becquerels/kg in the final disposal site, you are right, but they do it anyway in Kiryu City. (Probably Kiryu is not alone.)

And these ashes have 2,000 to 3,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium. No protection, not even the blue tarp and sandbags.

Right next to the site is a high school. Beautiful cherry blossom trees.

UPDATE - From Assemblywoman Niwayama's blog, surreal dialog between the official at the site and Niwayama:

庭山：空間線量、高いですね。 Niwayama: Air radiation is high here, isn't it?

職員：ここは出ますよ（当然のように） Official: Yes it is (saying as a matter of fact).

庭山：近隣の人、聞いてみたけど、ここに放射性廃棄物捨ててるの知らないですよ。 N: I've asked the neighbors. They don't know that radioactive waste is being dumped here.

職員：回覧板で回しましたけどね。 O: We've notified them using the neighborhood circular notice.

庭山：怒っていますよ。 N: They are angry.

職員：佐藤光好議員に相談したら、近隣だけで十分ということで4丁目にだけ回覧版を回しました。 O: When we asked the assemblyman of the district, he said only the residents in the vicinity needed to be notified. So we notified only the 4-chome residents.

庭山：知らないって言ってますよ。それに、これ、放射性廃棄物でしょ。国の基準超えてるでしょ。倍以上。こういう状態で置いちゃダメでしょ。N: But they say they don't know about it. This is radioactive waste, isn't it? Exceeding the national safety standard by more than 100%. You cannot just leave it like this.

職員：国の指示に従って管理しています。 O: We are managing it according to the instruction from the national government.

庭山：管理じゃないでしょ。これ。 N: Do you call this a "management"?

職員：私たちも困っているんです。O: We are at a loss ourselves about what to do.

庭山：困って何してんですか？ N: So what are you doing about it?

職員：県の方に言ったり、国に言ったり。O: We've asked the prefectural government, we've asked the national government...

庭山：国にどうしんですか？ N: What did you do with the national government?

職員：電話をしました。 O: We called.

庭山：何回？ N: How many times?

職員：1回。 O: Once.

庭山：それ、困っているうちに入らないですよ。こんなん、近隣の人、置かれちゃ困るっていいってるんだから、東電に返しなさいよ。 N: That doesn't count as you being at a loss. The neighbors don't want it here. Return to TEPCO.

職員：それはちょっと。 O: Uh, that would be a bit difficult...

庭山：ちょっとじゃないですよ。落し物は持ち主のところに返しないさい。勝俣さん家だって大きそうだし。返しなさいよ。 N: A bit difficult? Lost property should be returned to the owner. [TEPCO's Chairman] Katsumata seems to have a huge mansion. Return it.

職員：そうは言われても。 O: We don't know.

庭山：それと、８０００ベクレルが安全だっていうなら、この8000ベクレル以下のものは安全だという人のところへもっていきないさい。例えば、あなたのところの境野水処理センターとか市役所とか、亀山市長の家とか、もって行っきなさいよ。安全なんでしょ。 N: If 8000 becquerels/kg is safe, take everything below 8,000 becquerels/kg to people who say it is safe. For example, your own water processing plant, City Hall, Mayor Kameyama's house. Take it there, if it's safe.

職員：はあ。 O: Ummm.

庭山：冗談じゃないよ。 N: I am not kidding.

You can see the video of their investigation, here. The officials are clearly clueless.

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