Japan's Nuclear Rescuers: 'Inevitable Some of Them May Die Within Weeks'

FoxNews ^

[Scythian]

Workers at the disaster-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan say they expect to die from radiation sickness as a result of their efforts to bring the reactors under control, the mother of one of the men tells Fox News.

The so-called Fukushima 50, the team of brave plant workers struggling to prevent a meltdown to four reactors critically damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, are being repeatedly exposed to dangerously high radioactive levels as they attempt to bring vital cooling systems back online.

Speaking tearfully through an interpreter by phone, the mother of a 32-year-old worker said: “My son and his colleagues have discussed it at length and they have committed themselves to die if necessary to save the nation.

[snarkbait]

90% of those exposed to ‘fatal radiation’ at Chernobyl died of old age.. not radiation poisoning or sickness.

[palmer]

The 2% estimate seems reasonable from this doc: http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/sec21/ch317/ch317a.html#sec21-ch317-ch317a-605:
Ionizing radiation can cause cancer; whole-body exposure to 1 Gy increases the average adult's lifetime risk of cancer death from 25% to about 30%, a 20% relative risk increase but only a 5% absolute risk increase

The 5% increase they talk about is for 1Gy, 4 times the dose that the Japanese workers are allowed (250 mSv). And the effect is nonlinear, so a 1/4 of a dose results less than 1/4 of the risk from the higher dose.

[dfwgator]

Weren’t most of the problems with Chernobyl hundreds of miles away in Byelorussia?

[kidd]

I don’t know what dose they received, or what their dosimeters have read.

The 2% number is based on the maximum dose that they are allowed to receive under emergency conditions. Once they receive that dose, they are no longer allowed to work.

[kidd]

I don’t know what dose they received, or what their dosimeters have read.

The 2% number is based on the maximum dose that they are allowed to receive under emergency conditions. Once they receive that dose, they are no longer allowed to work.

[kidd]

I don’t know what dose they received, or what their dosimeters have read.

The 2% number is based on the maximum dose that they are allowed to receive under emergency conditions. Once they receive that dose, they are no longer allowed to work.

[exDemMom]

Other than their fears that they are going to die soon, I saw no objective assessment of their condition anywhere in the article. The only people who received a high enough exposure are out of the hospital. So, objectively, it seems there is no basis on which to say anyone has received a lethal dose.

People who have received such a high dose of radiation that they are likely to die from it would not be functioning, much less going into the plant to try to clean up the mess. They’d be in the hospital ICU, hooked up to monitors and IVs. A radiation injury is much like a bad burn: you don’t expect someone with burn injuries so severe they are likely to die within weeks to be up and walking around as if nothing is wrong.

[exDemMom]

Arggh, I wish there were an edit feature.

“The only people who received a high enough exposure TO EXHIBIT SYMPTOMS are out of the hospital.”

[Freddd]

I’ve been working with radiactive components for the past 21 years———

Pick banana’s do ya?

[Ditto]

Seems rather contrary to use the word “inevitable” with “some” and “may”.

Exactly my thoughts when seeing this headline. More sensationalism from the idiot media.

[kidd]

Failure analyses, metallurgical analyses ... mostly pulled steam generator tubes, but also pump components, valve stems, pressurizer heater sleeves, CRDM housings, etc.

[T-Bird45]

More sensationalism from the idiot media.

Further evidence of sensationalism/poor journalism in the article excerpt below:

..critically damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami...

The reactors withstood the earthquake but the tsunami took out the back-up generators that supply electricity for the coolant pumps. It does not require a degree in nuclear engineering to understand and correctly report that simple fact.

[wiggen]

Have to think the Japanese are protecting their workers better than the Russians did. Thee other side of the story is we in no way have all the information as to how bad the Japan problem is.

[faucetman]

Thank you for your fine information and it *IS* nice to have a real expert right here on FR. (NO sarc, totally serious)

[tsowellfan]

Fox is really reaching the bottom of the barrel for its sources of ‘expert’ testimony. Their Saudi owners must be pushing them hard to keep up the nuclear fearmongering.

I also saw this story on Japanese TV and a couple of other sources. Guess you'll have to find something else for Media Matters for their OutFox project.

[faucetman]

Read and be amazed at all the false HYPE about the NON disaster at Chernobyl.

http://www.wonuc.org/xfiles/chern_01.html

[Old North State]

It would seem that if something may happen, there must be a chance that it may not. If it may not, it cannot be inevitable.

[Scythian]

Pardon me if I don’t believe you. I’m done listening to armchair nuclear experts on the FR. This lady spoke to her son who is on the ground, in the plant, I believe her, not you.

[kidd]

Then pardon me, while I smack your dumb a$$ down the same way I smack down a liberal who is afraid of guns and global warming because they lack facts, let their fear take hold of their ability to reason and rely on anyone who can support their ‘feelings’.

I am hardly an ‘armchair’ expert. Dealing with radioactive contamination is an integral part of my career and it has been for over two decades.

But go ahead, get your advice from Bernice, Ethyl, Maude or whoever is crying the loudest and whoever makes the best headlines for the media.

Moron.

[GonzoGOP]

This article has less to do with contamination, since there is little or no new info on contamination, than it does with the moral of the workers. From the article it is hard to tell if it is determination or fatalism that is keeping the workers going. I tend to see it as determination (we are going to get this done whatever it takes) rather than fatalism (we're dead anyway so we might as well keep going).

They people at the plant are still working the problems. Yes; the contaminated sea water and the high levels of radiation in plant to were setbacks. But there is far less signs of panic within the gates of the Fukushima plant than we are seeing 5000 miles away in the US.

There has been some talk of pushing the exclusion zone back from 20km to 40km due to the discovery of a hot spot outside the 20km zone. But once again the press didn't provide enough data to make a reasonable determination if this was panic or prudence. If it was multiple readings over the limits then extending the zone would be prudent. If it was one anomalous reading then you watch the area for any additional spikes. But since they don't provide that data we end up going on gut instinct which is the best way to guarantee making a bad decision. If we are to get a real understanding of what is going on at Fukushima we need data not rhetoric, facts not talking points. Unfortunately rhetoric and talking points (either from Ann Coulter or Greenpeace) make a lot better news copy than charts listing the mSv readings at set distances from the plant.