Gov't, Sumitomo at odds over container of radioactive waste

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Gov't, Sumitomo at odds over container of radioactive waste

WAKAYAMA, Japan, April 29 (Kyodo) - Sumitomo Metal Industries 
Ltd. and central, prefectural and municipal governments remain at 
odds over what to do with a sealed container found to be holding 
unidentified radioactive material at its Wakayama steelworks in 
Wakayama Prefecture, government and company officials said 
Saturday. 

The 8-meter-long, 3-meter-high container, carrying stainless steel 
waste from spoon and knife factories in the Philippines, was 
brought ashore at an Osaka port on Thursday. 

The waste was to be melted and processed at the plant, the 
officials at Sumitomo said. 

When the container was trucked Friday to the steelworks in 
Wakayama, south of Osaka, a radiation detector at the gate 
alerted workers of the presence of radioactive material inside, the 
officials said. 

When inspectors from the Science and Technology Agency 
measured the radiation, they detected gamma rays of up to 75 
microsieverts per hour as well as neutron rays of up to 6 
microsieverts per hour emanating from the container's surface, the 
agency said. 

One microsievert is 1/1,000,000th of a sievert. 

However, the inspectors have remained unable to learn exactly 
what is inside the container because the steelmaker and the local 
governments want it carted away before it is opened. 

Sumitomo Metal, and the Wakayama prefectural and city 
governments are demanding the agency remove the container from 
the company's premises and from Wakayama as quickly as 
possible, the company and municipal officials said. 

Sumitomo Metal is asking the agency to secure consent from both 
the prefectural and city governments before opening the container. 

But the local governments are demanding the agency take 
responsibility for any consequences arising from opening the 
container, the local government officials said. 
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Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
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