Friday, March 25, 2011

Japan crisis: nuclear workers exposed to 10,000 times more radiation than normal

Concerns over the extent of radioactive contamination in Japan deepened after it emerged that three workers admitted to hospital this week were exposed to radiation levels 10,000 times higher than normal

The news raised fears that the steel and concrete containment around one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant could be leaking.

Japan's prime minister, Naoto Kan, made clear that the work to stabilise Fukushima remains on a knife-edge.

"The situation today at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant is still very grave and serious. We must remain vigilant," he said in an evening address to the nation, "We are not in a position where we can be optimistic. We must treat every development with the utmost care."

Japanese officials said further investigations were needed to determine how the three men replacing a cable at the No. 3 reactor were sloshing about in water containing iodine, caesium and cobalt 10,000 times the normal level.

"At present, our monitoring data suggest the (No. 3) reactor retains certain containment functions, but there is a good chance that the reactor has been damaged," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear agency.

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