Radioactive Fukushima soil sent to Japanese PM’s office in bid to ease radiation fears
The government is desperate to set people’s minds at ease about recycling the decontaminated soil that has been stored near the Fukushima plant
Soon after the March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from swathes of land in Fukushima to reduce radiation levels.
A vast quantity of soil – 14 million cubic metres – has since been stored at facilities near the Fukushima Daiichi plant, with the government setting a 2045 deadline for its transfer elsewhere in the country.
Most of the stored soil contains low levels of radiation equivalent to or less than one X-ray per year for people who directly stand on or work with it, the environment ministry said.
The government is desperate to set people’s minds at ease about recycling the decontaminated soil, enough to fill 11 baseball stadiums. Officials have pledged to find final disposal sites outside Fukushima by 2045.
