Fukushima to Decontaminate All Houses

Fukushima City, about 60 kilometers from the crippled Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, plans to remove radioactive materials from all private houses in the city.

The plan was decided after high levels of radiation were detected in some areas of the city. The amounts were close to a level that would prompt authorities to recommend evacuation of nearby residents.

Some people concerned about possible health risks to their children have already moved out of the city.

The plan aimed at substantially lowering radiation levels in the air for the next 2 years includes decontamination of all 110,000 households in the city.

Of those, highly contaminated houses where children of high school age or younger live will be given extra thorough cleaning.

Under the plan, professional cleaners commissioned by the city will scrub radioactive substances from roofs and ditches of the houses, and remove concrete, which radioactive material tends to adhere to. They will also decontaminate roofs and ditches of other nearby houses, but residents will be required to remove surface soil and weed gardens by themselves.

The city says it will recruit volunteers from around the nation, if necessary, and send them to households that need manpower. The city also plans to decontaminate parks and community halls.

But it has yet to be determined how the contaminated soil and other materials will be disposed of.