ＩＡＥＡ報告書 「１ミリ・シーベルト」はあくまで長期目標

The Yomiuri Shimbun October 26, 2013
IAEA rightly calls 1 millisievert radiation yardstick a long-term goal
ＩＡＥＡ報告書　「１ミリ・シーベルト」はあくまで長期目標（10月25日付・読売社説）

To what degree should decontamination be conducted in areas affected by the 2011 crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant?
　東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故による除染は当面、どのレベルまで実施すべきなのか。

A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency has expressed its opinion that the ongoing decontamination activities’ goal of reducing annual individual radiation exposure to 1 millisievert or less by means of a thorough cleanup “should not necessarily be adhered to as a must.”
　国際原子力機関（ＩＡＥＡ）の調査団は、徹底除染により年間被曝(ひばく)線量を「１ミリ・シーベルト以下」にすることについて、「必ずしもこだわらなくてもよい」との見解を示した。

The IAEA mission’s statement is right and proper. The Environment Ministry should accelerate the pace of decontamination efforts in line with the view of the U.N. agency.
　適切な指摘である。環境省にはＩＡＥＡの見解に沿い、除染を加速させることが求められる。

The IAEA team conducted on-the-spot investigations this month to examine the activities involved in the decontamination work near the nuclear power plant. It released a report on Monday.
　調査団は今月、第一原発周辺の現地調査を実施して除染状況をチェックし、報告書をまとめた。

It is worthy of note that the report clearly stated that “an individual dose in the range of 1 to 20 millisieverts per year is acceptable” under international standards.
　注目すべきは、報告書が、国際的基準に照らし、「年間１～２０ミリ・シーベルトの範囲内のいかなるレベルの個人放射線量も許容し得る」と明記した点である。

The IAEA statement reinforces the objective set by the government of reducing radiation levels “to within 20 millisieverts,” with a view to helping evacuated residents of the affected areas return home. The report must be effectively used as an incentive for realizing the early return of the evacuees.
　避難住民の帰還に向け、政府が設けている「２０ミリ・シーベルト以下」という目安を補強するものだ。早期の帰還実現への弾みとしたい。

As a long-term decontamination goal, the government has also aimed to bring the annual exposure reading down to “1 millisievert or less.”
　政府は、除染の長期目標として「１ミリ・シーベルト以下」も掲げる。

Speed up decontamination

More than a few people, however, are under the impression they cannot return to areas that have not achieved the long-term goal of 1 millisievert or less a year.
　だが、１ミリ・シーベルト以下にならなければ帰還できないと思い込んでいる住民が少なくない。

This is mainly due to the fact that the Democratic Party of Japan-led administration, in response to residents’ strong desire for thorough decontamination, set a short-term goal of 1 millisievert.
民主党政権が、徹底除染を求める地元の要望を受け、１ミリ・シーベルトを当座の目標としたことが尾を引いている。

Should the government get caught up in the idea of reducing the risk to zero, there will be no prospect for when decontamination work will finish, further delaying residents’ return.
　ゼロリスクにとらわれると、除染完了のめどが立たなくなる。住民の帰還は遅れるばかりだ。

The latest IAEA report has concluded that the 1-millisievert yardstick “cannot be reached in the short term through cleanup work alone.” It also said the Japanese government should explain this to the public in detail. The government must strive to make every resident fully aware that 1 millisievert is not a threshold for distinguishing safety and danger.
　ＩＡＥＡ報告書も、１ミリ・シーベルトについて、「除染のみで短期間に達成できるものではない」と結論付けた。政府には、その事実関係を丁寧に説明するよう注文した。
　政府は、１ミリ・シーベルトが安全と危険の境目ではないことを住民に周知する必要がある。

The Environment Ministry has been conducting decontamination in 11 cities, towns and villages in the vicinity of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, but cleanup operations are far behind schedule because of difficulties in securing temporary storage sites for contaminated soil and related problems. Decontamination projects in seven of the 11 municipalities are under review.
　環境省は、第一原発周辺の１１市町村で除染を実施しているが、汚染土を保管する仮置き場の確保などが難航し、作業は大幅に遅れている。現在、７市町村の除染計画を見直している。

It is highly important in areas with relatively low-level contamination to push ahead with building infrastructure essential for rehabilitating residents’ lives in tandem with the cleanup operations.
　汚染レベルが比較的低い地域で重要なのは、除染と併せ、住民の生活再建に必要なインフラ整備を進めていくことだ。

By addressing decontamination work in stages instead of trying to fulfill the goal of 1 millisievert all at once, more cash can be reallocated from decontamination to the rebuilding of infrastructure. This suggestion, which was incorporated into the IAEA report, can be a reference for decontamination plans.
　１ミリ・シーベルトを一気に目指さず、段階的に取り組めば、除染からインフラ復旧に、より多くの費用を振り向けられる。報告書のこの提言は、除染計画の参考になろう。

The government has earmarked about ¥1.3 trillion for decontamination plans up to the current fiscal year.
　政府は除染費用として、今年度までに約１兆３０００億円を計上した。

Under the current decontamination scheme, the cleanup is supposed to be funded by TEPCO, but the utility’s deteriorating financial condition means it does not have the wherewithal to pay. It is highly likely that the public will bear the burden of decontamination costs through such effects as higher electricity bills.
要した費用は東電に請求する仕組みになっているが、経営が悪化している東電に支払う余力はない。電気料金の値上げなどで国民の負担となる可能性が高い。

Finding ways to push forward with decontamination operations effectively and adequately is an urgent issue.
　いかに効率よく的確に除染を進めるか。喫緊の課題である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 25, 2013)
（2013年10月25日01時41分  読売新聞）