TOKYO, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture may have contaminated as much as 36 million cubic yards of soil with radioactive substances, Japanese officials said.
The government's environment ministry released its findings as part of an official study to remove the contaminated soil from the prefecture. The environment ministry used simulation techniques to assess the extent of the contamination, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
The simulation was also intended to determine the size of temporary facilities needed to store the soil and of intermediate storage facilities where the soil would be taken at a later date, the report said.
The nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was triggered by the powerful 9-magnitude earthquake followed by a monstrous tsunami March 11. Plant workers have been working since then to bring plant's damaged reactors to a cold shutdown to stop radiation leaks.
An earlier Kyodo News report said the government has been studying ways to decontaminate the prefecture's residential areas. However, the report said wooded areas cover 70 percent of the prefecture.
The Yomiuri report said the simulation figures would be presented to a ministry study group that will determine Japan's decontamination policy.
