Fukushima's Crooked Cleanup

Fukushima Cleanup Workers dumping radioactive Waste into River
ASAHI SHIMBUN (c) 2012-2013 

Japanese ASAHI Reporters have observed incognito over a week the work of Fukushima clean up squadrons and workers. They have observed highly questionable and ludicrous methods of radioactive waste dumping into the wild and into rivers as well as shoddy clean up techniques that now have led to a government investigation:

Government investigates illegal dumping of high level nuclear waste

The government will investigate decontamination work around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant following reports that potentially radioactive debris has been dumped into the environment, even during the preparatory stage of the program.

“It is extremely regrettable,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Jan. 7. [...] Some cleanup crews said they were told to dump potentially radioactive debris into rivers even during preparations to establish bases for full-scale decontamination efforts around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. [...]

Some of them said they dumped branches, leaves and water after cleaning local government offices and other places that would serve as bases for the full-scale decontamination [...] 1

Not a single case - but over months the same technique:

[...] on Dec. 17, a worker in Naraha was observed using a pressurized sprayer to clean the veranda of a private home. Because no protective sheet was installed, water splashed the walls of neighboring structures.In some cases, radiation levels at homes have even increased after decontamination, leading some workers to suspect that radioactive materials were blown into the area by wind. [...] 2

Subcontractor's dump illegally nuclear waste into rivers:

[...] Kajima Corp. was part of the joint venture that won the contract to decontaminate forests in Tamura. On Nov. 16 and 17, four workers for a tertiary subcontractor in their 40s and 50s were instructed to gather fallen leaves and stems along a slope by a river–and to dump it into the water. The 3 cubic meters turned the river brown.

A 43-year-old man who was part of that group took an Asahi Shimbun reporter to the site. A pile of leaves was found at the bottom of the slope by the river. The man came from Toyama Prefecture and ended the work on Dec. 26.

“Even though I was following an order, I am sorry for polluting the river,” the man said. 3

1 http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201301070080

2 http://enenews.com/fukushima-workers-radiation-levels-rise-after-decontamination-told-only-clean-areas-around-radioactivity-measurement-sites

3 http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201301040073