FUKUSHIMA — A government cleaning project designed to decontaminate radioactive areas around the crisis-hit Fukushima plant was shown to the media Sunday during a demonstration at the center of the hot zone in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.
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| Hot or not?: A worker in full face mask and protective suit checks radiation levels at a bus stop bench near the Okuma town office in Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday. KYODO |
Using high-pressure water sprayers, a joint venture led by major contractor Obayashi Corp. has been working for a week to clean up the area based on a detailed plan drawn up by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency.
The project is being carried out to confirm the effectiveness, safety and economic efficiency of the decontamination plan and will focus on cleaning up areas within 20 km of the plant and other areas residents fled from.
The agency began monitoring radiation levels in Okuma on Nov. 18. The town is one of two hosting the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, which suffered core meltdowns in multiple reactors after the March earthquake and tsunami knocked out its cooling systems. The reactors have since released massive amounts of radioactive matter into the air, land and sea.
Sunday's shift began at the Okuma town office, about 4 km southwest of the plant. The radiation level 1 cm above the top of the three-floor building, which was about 16 microsieverts per hour before treatment, dropped to about 10 microsieverts per hour following a 10-minute wash down.
Longer washings resulted in diminishing returns, with readings of 9.28 microserverts after 15 minutes and 8.92 microsieverts after 20 minutes. Changes were also minimal after switching to hot water.
The water used to wash down the building was pooled in a large water tank for examination to see whether it can be reused following treatment at a purification facility.
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