I still don't know why the government is promoting
the burning of debris all over Japan. Today PM Noda
will demand that cities nationwide accept radiation
contaminated debris from the Tohoku region.
As long as the ash radiation is 8000 beckerel/kg,
cities can be called upon to serve as landfill, which
the government declares is safe. Pre-3/11, any
radiated material had been closely monitored and
restricted--basically, forbidden to leave the site.
Now, the safer places of Japan will be subject to
contamination, and it may affect neighboring
countries and, in the end, the whole globe. The
majority of Japanese people are against this policy,
despite the government investing, it is said, 9 million
dollars--including TV commercials and centerfold
ads in major newspapers-- in a campaign to emotionally
sway citizens to support it. It's a bit like blackmail.
To say no to burning debris is, by the government's lights,
an act of cold-hearted sabotage against the people of
Tohoku. This strategy seems to be working.
It is as if the Noda administration wants to contaminate all of Japan, which, in fact, is what his admn is doing.
ReplyDeleteIn the research I did for Network for Okinawa on US military bases in Japan, I discovered that the incineration of non-irradiated industrial and medical trash in Kanagawa, near Atsugi Naval Station, resulted in dioxin exposure to residents of Atsugi (and of course nearby Japanese neighborhoods). I can't find the link - but there were cases of serious illness and lawsuits. Here's a JT article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fe20010226sh.html
In the US, the state of Tennessee (2nd largest Japanese investment in the US, after California; an incredibly beautiful state, especially in the eastern mountain region) is accepting nuclear (medical) waste from Germany for incineration. I'm going to find out more about health issues and will share: http://www.tectn.org/display_headline.php?id=93
An excerpt from the above site which also asks if Tennessee will be accepting waste from Fukushima:
ReplyDelete- Burning does not reduce the amount of radiation, just the volume of the contaminated material, so the resulting ash has much higher concentrations of dangerous radiation.
- Radiation could slip past the smokestack filters and enter the air in very fine particulate size both routinely and accidentally. Workplace exposure is also a serious concern.
- Incineration is a questionable method of waste disposal. Even burning household waste creates dioxins and furans, some of the most toxic man-made substances.
-Radioactive residual materials could end up in Tennessee landfills under the Bulk Survey for Release program
-It is possible the German government will refuse to accept the materials after incineration as proposed.
- Germany is a world leader in incineration of toxic waste. Why are they choosing not to burn this material in Germany? What do they know that we do not?
- Transportation of these materials adds another element of risk.
This is another version of the cultural edict "the collective must share the burden," but this has far more malignant consequences. Devastating.
ReplyDeleteIn my more cynical moments, this is how I believe the governmnet defines, "Kizuna."
ReplyDelete