Two Fukushima NPP liquidators get overexposure
TOKYO. May 30. KAZINFORM Two liquidators of the aftermath of the accident at Japan's Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant have got radiation exposure more than the maximum allowable rate of 250 millisieverts. They are currently undergoing a thorough medical examination, the NPP operator - the country's largest energy company, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) reported on Monday. The liquidators for the first time have got radiation overexposure; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
According to the company experts, these two NPP employees have apparently got the radiation exposure dose of "several hundred millisieverts." The examination, in particular, has the presence in their thyroid gland of radioactive iodine-131 at a rate of 7,900 - 9,700 becquerels. This is more than 10 times the average exposure dose the other liquidators got.
At the same time, allegedly, the state of the two overexposure victims does not require emergency treatment. Before the test, which revealed that they got overexposure, they had no health complaints.
Both victims are career staff employees of the NPP. They have been at the plant since March 11, when the NPP was seriously damaged by a strong earthquake and a tsunami wave. Since then they have worked inside the control rooms and outside the power-generating units. Another 150 people have been working with them there and all of them are currently undergoing a thorough medical examination.
The maximum permissible radiation exposure dose of 100 millisieverts is set under the law for NPP employees in Japan. Exclusively for the current accident at the Fukushima-1 NPP the dose was raised to 250 millisieverts. Only two liquidators, who accidentally stepped on March 24 in a puddle of radioactive water in the third power unit, have got a similar exposure dose before. At the same time, nearly forty people who got radiation exposure of 10 millisieverts have been suspended from work.
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