Errors Cast Doubt on Japan’s Cleanup of Nuclear Accident Site – NYTimes.com

Inside Fukushima’s Evacuation Zone: Accidents, miscalculations and delays have plagued the effort to clean up the site of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
By MARTIN FACKLER
Published: September 3, 2013 210 Comments
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE+
SAVE
E-MAIL
SHARE
PRINT
SINGLE PAGE
REPRINTS

NARAHA, Japan — In this small farming town in the evacuation zone surrounding the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, small armies of workers in surgical masks and rubber gloves are busily scraping off radioactive topsoil in a desperate attempt to fulfill the central government’s vow one day to allow most of Japan’s 83,000 evacuees to return. Yet, every time it rains, more radioactive contamination cascades down the forested hillsides along the rugged coast.
Multimedia

Graphic
Attempts to Control Contamination by Radioactivity in Fukushima

Graphic
Population Fallout

Connect With Us on Twitter
Follow@nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.
Twitter List: Reporters and Editors
Readers’ Comments
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
Read All Comments (210) »
Nearby, thousands of workers and a small fleet of cranes are preparing for one of the latest efforts to avoid a deepening environmental disaster that has China and other neighbors increasingly worried: removing spent fuel rods from the damaged No. 4 reactor building and storing them in a safer place.

More http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/world/asia/errors-cast-doubt-on-japans-cleanup-of-nuclear-accident-site.html?_r=0