$13,000 To "Decontaminate" Fukushima Home

Yet another fine example of how a government is so good at misallocating the resource. By pledging to pour hundreds of billions of yen (probably in trillions) into "decontaminating" Fukushima, the Japanese government has already spawned a brand-new industry of residential decontamination. Who are the industry participants? Cleaners, painters, just about anyone who has a high-pressure washer.

Some are apparently charging 1 million yen (US$13,000) to hose down your house. As you can see in the video in the previous post, their idea of "decontamination" looks little more than year-end cleanup. Power washing seems to somehow turn cleanup into "decontamination".

From Yomiuri Shinbun (10/19/2011):

東京電力福島第一原子力発電所事故による放射性物質の除染作業が本格化している福島県で、個人宅の除染に１００万円を業者から請求されるなどのトラブルが起き始めている。

As decontamination work gets underway in Fukushima Prefecture to remove radioactive materials from the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident, so do troubles with the decontamination contractors. Some are asking 1 million yen [US$13,000] to decontaminate a house.

　費用を巡るトラブルは今後増える恐れがあり、標準的な作業内容や目安となる費用などを盛り込んだガイドラインを設ける必要性を指摘する声も出ている。

Disputes over the cost may increase in the future, and there are some who point out that there should be a guideline specifying what constitutes the standard decontamination work and the cost associated with it.

NOTE: It goes without saying that this is wasted money. Washing radiation into the ground will only further contaminate the soil, food, crops, people etc.