Japan will burn tsunami debris

Japanese scientists say tsunami debris from the March 2011 disaster will be incinerated and the resulting ash will not present a public radiation hazard. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Friday it has begun storing debris from the affected prefectures of Miyagi and Iwate in preparation for the incineration program that will dispose of 500,000 tons of rubble, Kyodo News reported. Amid public radiation fears from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear disaster, the metro government conducted test burns of tsunami debris and said no problems were found. The debris from the two prefectures would be incinerated with ordinary Tokyo waste, officials said. The test burns produced no nuclear materials above acceptable limits in the exhaust gas and water, and any radioactive materials present were on a par with ordinary Tokyo waste, they said.