Radiation threat shows up in car wash tanks

Highly radioactive sludge is turning up in septic tanks at car washes in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

To allay fears on the local front, the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA) chief executive David Vinsen underscores that stringent tests against radiation are undertaken on all vehicles coming to New Zealand and Australia.

In Japan, radioactive readings are as much as seven times higher than the government’s limit according to automotive industry officials, reports The Japan Times.

While the government-set limit is 8000 becquerels per kilogram, some of the sludge is giving off 57,400 becquerels per kilogram, a document obtained by Kyodo News says.

The source of the radioactivity is believed to be ash and soot that stuck to vehicles shortly after the triple core meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March 2011, say officials.

Fukushima Prefecture has some 1700 automotive maintenance facilities where a growing number of septic tanks are reaching capacity, they say, adding that the amount of tainted sludge accumulated from washing cars likely weighs several thousands of tons.

To the prevent the septic tanks from overflowing, some of the maintenance facilities are manually scooping up the mud, which has prompted industry groups to warn authorities about the health hazards workers face, the officials say.

The Japan Automobile Dealers Association, Japan Automobile Service Promotion Association and Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association have been urging central government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, which manages the defunct Fukushima No. 1 plant, to address the issue, reports The Japan Times.

But their calls for action have not been heeded, according to the Environment Ministry and the utility.