Fukushima workers exposed to radiation

6 Fukushima workers exposed to radiation after pipe incident

Six people working at the site of crippled Fukushima power plant have been exposed to radiation after one of them mistakenly removed a pipe connected to a contaminated water treatment system. It’s the second incident at Fukushima in three days.

RT,

9 October, 2013

The accidental pipe detachment on Wednesday resulted in the leak of several tons of water, which Fukushima operator TEPCO uses to cool the reactors. 

The water came from a system which removes salts from the cooling liquid after it comes out from the damaged reactors. The leakage continued for some 50 minutes. Reuters estimates that at least seven tons of water escaped the system.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority told the news agency that the incident was equivalent to "Level 0" on the International Nuclear and Radiological Events Scale (INES), but did not give an official rating.

TEPCO would not immediately report on the conditions of the six workers exposed to the water following the incident.

Earlier this week a worker accidentally switched off a water pump used to channel water into the reactor building.

Leakages of contaminated water have been plaguing Fukushima in the latest months as TEPCO fails to prevent radiation from being released into the environment.

The Japanese government, which has been criticized for turning a blind eye of the problems, has recently pledged to lean in and tackle the crisis. On Sunday Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe admitted that his country needs foreign knowledge and expertise to deal with Fukushima disaster.

The power plant was disrupted in March 2011 by a massive earthquake and tsunami, resulting in one of world’s worst-ever nuclear accidents. Three reactor cores at Fukushima have melted down and need to be cooled down constantly to avoid possible catastrophic escalation.

Fukushima workers “undergoing treatment for radiation exposure”

Tepco: “6 people have been irradiated… big mistakes like this continue to happen again and again… essential that we put something in place to stop this”

ENENews,

9 October, 2013

Follow-up to: Fukushima workers doused with highly radioactive water -- 37,000,000 becquerels per liter -- 'Several tons' reported to have leaked (VIDEO)

Xinhua, Oct. 9, 2013: Six people contaminated in latest Fukushima leak saga [...] workers were undergoing treatment for radiation exposure.

NHK, Oct. 9, 2013: Six of 11 workers at the site were sprayed with the radioactive water. [...] Company officials say alertness among workers may be decreasing due to an increased burden of preventing further leaks. [...]

NHK, Oct. 9, 2013: The head of Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority says a decline in worker morale at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is one of the causes behind radioactive water leaks and other problems. NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka made the remark at a news conference on Wednesday in answer to questions regarding a series of troubles at the plant. [...]

Euronews, Oct. 9, 2013: [...] Masayuki Ono, general manager at the Tokyo Electric Company said: “Six people have been irradiated. It is true that big mistakes like this continue to happen again and again. It is essential that we put something in place to stop this chain of events.” [...]

See also: Fukushima Worker: People showered with highly radioactive water at plant -- Leaking tanks spraying out contamination

Former Top U.S. Nuclear 

Official: Removal of melted 

fuel at Fukushima may not 

be possible (VIDEO)

Title: The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons for New York
Source:  Samuel Lawrence Foundation
Date: Oct 8, 2013

At 1:27:00 in

Dr. Gregory Jaczko, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission:

There will be the removal of the melted fuel, or perhaps the inability to remove the fuel and the need to simply leave it in place.

And then ultimately some type of decommissioning of these reactors, a process that will take probably my entire life […]

Watch the event here