High Radiation Right Next to Children's Swimming Pool in Kawasaki City

The government authorities, whether national or municipal, say they've been measuring the radiation at parks and schools where children go, but they've been criticized for picking the least contaminated locations to measure.



Here's a case in Kawasaki City, where a citizens' group measured on their own, found a high radiation location in a park that the city said it had measured, and alerted the city about the highly radioactive dirt right next to the swimming pool that children are using since early July.



From Kanagawa Shinbun local site (8/18/2011):

　川崎市は18日、同市中原区上平間の平間公園内にある児童プール脇で放射線量を測定し、文部科学省の目標値（１時間当たり０・19マイクロシーベルト以下）を大幅に上回る０・90マイクロシーベルトを計測した。県危機管理対策課によると、県内で計測された大気中の放射線量としては最高値という。



Kawasaki City announced it measured 0.90 microsievert/hour at the side of the swimming pool in Hirama Park in Kamihirama, Nakahara-ku (special ward), exceeding the target level of 0.19 microsievert/hour set by the Ministry of Education and Science. According to the [Kanagawa] prefectural crisis management division, it is the highest level of air radiation measured in Kanagawa.



　市が同所で土などを採取して測定したところ、１キログラム当たり１万２４００ベクレルの放射性セシウムを検出したため、19日からプールの利用を一時中止することを決めた。



The city collected the dirt from the location to have it analyzed, and 12,400 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was found. The city has decided to close the swimming pool temporarily, starting August 19.



政府は下水道処理施設などの汚泥について８千ベクレル以下であれば埋め立て可能としている。市はブルーシートなどで飛散防止を図るとともに、専門家と相談しながら撤去方法などを検討する方針だ。



The national government allows sewer sludge to be buried as long as the amount of radioactive materials is 8,000 becquerels/kg and lower. The city has put the plastic tarp over the dirt, and will decide how to dispose the radioactive dirt after consulting with the experts.



　　高い放射線量が計測されたのは、プール利用者の更衣室などがある管理棟のすぐ横で、フェンスの向こうはプールサイド。市公園管理課によると、日ごろから落ち葉などを集積する場所になっており、プール開き前の７月７日に実施したプール清掃後も、落ち葉や土などを広さ約15平方メートルのスペースに置いていた。



The location where the high radiation was measured is right next to the building in which the dressing rooms for the swimming pool users are located. The poolside is just beyond the fence nearby. According to the park management, the area is used to store collected leaves. After cleaning the pool on July 7 to prepare for the pool opening, the leaves and dirt were stored in the 15 square-meter area.



　市民有志でつくる「ピース・アンド・スマイル・プロジェクト・カワサキ」（須藤有紀代表）が今月14日、この場所で土の表面などを測定した際、地上５センチで０・50マイクロシーベルトを計測したため、市に連絡。市も調査を始めた。15日の調査では０・66マイクロシーベルト（地上５センチ）、18日の調査では０・90マイクロシーベルト（同）を計測した。ただ、プールの入り口付近やプールサイドでは、いずれも目標値を下回った。



The citizen volunteer group "Peace and Smile Project Kawasaki" measured the near-surface radiation in this area on August 14, which measured 0.50 microsievert/hour at 5 centimeters off the ground. The group alerted the city. When the city measured the same area on August 15, it was 0.66 microsievert/hour (5 centimeters off the ground), and it was 0.90 microsievert/hour on August 18. The radiation levels at the pool entrance and the pool side were below the target level.



　市公園管理課は「この場所の放射線量が高い原因は分からない」としている。



The park management says, "We don't know why the radiation is so high in this area".



　市は６月に市内の公園や学校など４４７カ所で放射線量を測定したが、最高値は０・17マイクロシーベルトで、いずれも目標値を下回っていた。



Kawasaki City measured the radiation levels at 447 locations including parks and schools in June, but they were all below the target level [of 0.19 microsievert/hour]; the maximum level measured was 0.17 microsievert/hour.

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17,020 Becquerels/Kg Cesium in Dirt Cleaned Out from Elementary School Swimming Pool in Ibaraki Prefecture

And who did the cleaning? Children.

Now on to one of the favorite topics of this blog: Swimming pools in Japan.

Well they did it again, this time the Board of Education in Joso City in Ibaraki Prefecture. Back in May, as one of the annual, educational events of the schools, public elementary schools and junior high schools in Joso City had their pupils clean out the school swimming pools in preparation for the school swimming classes during summer. The teachers also helped out. Together, they cleaned the pools and scooped out the dirt that had accumulated at the bottom of the pools.

5 schools kept the dirt in a corner of the schoolyards. At one elementary school, a concerned PTA member decided to measure the radiation of the dirt. The result? 17,020 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.

There are 14 public elementary schools, 5 junior high schools in Joso City. The city's Board of Education runs both elementary schools and junior high schools.

From Mainichi Shinbun (7/5/2011):

常総市の市立小学校が５月にプール清掃を教員と児童で行った際にかき集めた泥土から、１キロ当たり１万７０２０ベクレルの放射性セシウムが検出されたこと が分かった。環境省が放射性物質汚染がれきについて定めた埋め立て許容基準の２倍に当たり、この学校は泥土を隔離。これを受けて市教育委員会が４日、全小 中学校のプール泥土の残存状況を調査したところ、同校の他に４小学校が敷地内に泥土を置いていることが明らかになった。

It was disclosed that 17,020 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium was detected from the dirt that were scooped out from the swimming pool when the teachers and pupils of one public elementary schools in Joso City did the cleaning of the pool in May. The amount is more than twice the safety limit set by the Ministry of the Environment for the radioactive debris that could be buried. The school moved the dirt in a separate area. Upon this news, the city's Board of Education surveyed the situation of the pool dirt in city's elementary schools and junior high schools on July 4, and found out there were 4 other elementary schools who had kept the dirt on the school premises.

同校ＰＴＡ関係者が敷地にあった泥土を６月１１日にバケツ１杯分採取し、うち３キロの試料を専門検査会社に送付。同２９日に届いた検査結果によると、セシウム１３４が７７００ベクレル、セシウム１３７が９３２０ベクレルだった。

A member of the school's PTA collected a bucketful of this dirt on June 11, and sent 3 kilograms of it to a laboratory specializing in radiation measurement. The result, which was delivered on June 29, showed the sample contained 7,700 becquerels/kg of cesium-134 and 9,320 becquerels/kg of cesium-137.

　環境省が先月公表した汚染がれき処理基準では、８０００ベクレル以下については埋め立て処理を認めるが、これを超すと放射線遮へい措置が必要となる。文部科学省はプールなどの泥土もこれに準じるとしている。

The safety limit for disposal of radioactive debris, as announced by the Ministry of the Environment last month, is 8,000 becquerels/kg. If it is below that limit, you can bury the debris. If it exceeds, then the measures will be necessary to shield the radiation. The Ministry of Education and Science says the dirt from the pool would be treated in the same manner.

　同校の教頭は「愛校作業として５、６年生が掃除に携わった」と話しており、放射性物質汚染の認識はなかったという。市教委は５月２５日、プール清掃に際し児童生徒の健康に配慮するよう各校長に指示したが、既に同校を含む４小中学校で児童生徒が清掃に参加していた。

The vice principal of the elementary school said, "As an activity to promote love for the school, 5th and 6th graders participated in the cleaning." The school didn't think of the radiation contamination then. The city's Board of Education instructed the principals of the city's schools on May 25 to pay attention to the health of pupils when cleaning the swimming pools, but by that time 4 schools including this elementary school had already had pupils clean the pools.

　市教委は同校のプール泥土を産業廃棄物として業者に処理を委託することを決定。他の４校の泥土については５日に放射線量を測り、校庭よりも高い数値が出た場合は産廃として処理する方針。坂巻幸一教育部長は「プール清掃は学校の指導の一環だが、配慮が足りなかったかもしれない」と述べた。

The city's Board of Education has decided to have a company that specializes in disposal of industrial waste to dispose the pool dirt from the school. As to the dirt at 4 other schools, the radiation will be measured on July 5. If the numbers are higher than those for the schoolyards, the dirt will be disposed as industrial waste. Koichi Sakamaki, manager for education [at the Board of Education] said, "Cleaning the swimming pools is part of the school instruction. But we should have been a bit more careful."

　調査したＰＴＡ関係者は「子どもが放射性物質に汚染された泥土の処理を行った事実を、将来の健康も考えて記録に残してほしい。市教委はきちんと対策を取り、情報を公開すべきだ」と指摘する。一方、県教委保健体育課は「評価基準はないが、掃除の後きちんと手を洗えばそれほど神経質になることはない」としている。

The member of the school's PTA says, "That the children did the cleanup of radioactive dirt should be recorded as such , for the future health monitoring. The city's Board of Education should provide appropriate countermeasures, and disclose information fully." The Board of Education of Ibaraki Prefecture, on the other hand, says "While it's true there is no standard for evaluating the pool dirt, but there is no need to be nervous as long as you wash your hands after cleaning the pool."

How could the school not think of radiation contamination, when the radioactive plume from Fukushima I Nuke Plant was constantly blowing over Ibaraki Prefecture and the air radiation level remains elevated? (I guess the vice principal didn't have access to the Internet to take a look at those foreign meteorological agencies' simulations...)

No matter. Cleaning is over now anyway, and the rest of the schools didn't even keep the dirt. But the pool water is clean, I'm sure.

But since when the dirt that contains that much radioactive cesium can be disposed as "industrial waste", instead of nuclear waste?

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