(Three) Japan nuclear workers sustain radiation burns

[jpak]

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110324/japan-radiation-tapwater-110324/20110324/?hub=CalgaryHome

Three workers at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant are being treated for radiation burns to their feet and legs, after stepping into contaminated water while laying electrical cables in one unit, Japanese officials say.

The two workers suffered "beta ray burns," officials at plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Co, said, citing doctors. Such burns cause damage only to the skin and are unlikely to cause systemic radiation sickness.

"The men were working in the No. 3 reactor, which in many ways has been the most nightmarish of them all, with its regular belching of unexplained black smoke and its highly toxic fuel – that's the one reactor that has plutonium as well as uranium in its fuel rods," CTV's Tom Walters told Canada AM from Osaka, Japan, Thursday morning.

Fumio Matsuda, a spokesman for the Nuclear and Industry Safety, said the men tested for radiation levels between 170 to 180 millisieverts.

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[LiberalEsto]

1. Sending blessings of healing and light

to them and everyone else affected by the radiation...

[FBaggins]

2. I think that makes 17 workers so far

with doses greater than 100 but less than the new limit of 260.

I think these three are higher than all but one of the rest.

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

3. Did they change the limit just for this crisis?

[FBaggins]

5. Yes.

But it doesn't look like they're sticking to it.

They increased the limit early in the crisis when it looked like a small number of experts were remaining while others were evacuated. They were worried that some critical person would go over 100 and be forced to leave when he was needed.

Since then they have far more people on site and from what I've read, the people who go over 100 are being assigned to other tasks away from the plant.

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

7. that's reassuring.

[Throckmorton]

4. I realize it is just a crappy news photo, but

It appears to me that there is still no power to the main annunciator system, and most of the instrumentation on the main control board.

[FBaggins]

6. I'd iimagine that there are dozens of systems that still lack power.

Or rather can't be powered up because of a short somewhere or broken equipment on the other end.

[Throckmorton]

8. Yes, but the troubling thing is

The safety related power systems are more robust that the non-safety systems, like lights and such. I would have expected that those would have been a priority, right behind behind control room ventilation.