ID :
182144
Sat, 05/14/2011 - 18:41
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https://oananews.org//node/182144
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Man dies after collapsing during Fukushima plant work
TOKYO (Kyodo) - A worker at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant died Saturday after collapsing while carrying materials as part of crisis-fighting operations, with a heart attack suspected as no radioactive materials were found on him, the operator said.
It is the first time a worker has died at the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., known as TEPCO, since the March 11 massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a series of radiation leakage accidents there.
A doctor at the emergency medical center where the man in his 60s was transported told reporters, ''The cause of death may well have been a heart attack,'' adding that the impact of radiation is not likely to have been the cause.
No radioactive substances have been detected on the man, and he apparently sustained no injuries, the utility said. The man had started working at the plant on Friday and was wearing protective gear at the time of the accident. He was exposed to radiation totaling 0.17 millisievert.
The man, an employee of a subcontractor who had worked at another atomic plant before, collapsed about one hour after he began his work at 6 a.m. Saturday with another worker at a waste disposal processing facility. He was unconscious when he was taken to a medical room inside the plant past 7 a.m. and was confirmed dead at a hospital in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, the utility and other officials said.
The other worker has not complained of health problems, the company added.
''(The worker's death) is extremely regretful. Efforts should be made to check whether his death was caused by radiation,'' Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters.
The man's collapse occurred as the company continued Saturday work to install a new cooling system at the No. 1 plant, where much of the fuel in the core has melted after being fully exposed.
TEPCO said at the time when the employee collapsed there was no doctor in a building where workers and engineers stay at night. On May 4, the company revealed a plan to have doctors stay inside the Fukushima Daiichi complex as part of efforts to improve health care for the plant workers.
Some workers are reported to have been taken to hospitals or taken rest after they were suspected to have been suffering from heat stroke or dehydration. The protective gear makes it difficult for workers to drink enough liquid or use toilet facilities, and is seen as causing them stress.
''We don't always have a doctor at the plant. We've asked doctors to come when they can,'' a TEPCO official said.
In a related development, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said an extremely high level of radiation of more than 2,000 millisieverts per hour was logged on the first floor of the No. 1 reactor building of the Fukushima plant.
The agency also said a pool of water just over 4 meters deep was found in the basement of the building, suggesting the possibility of water that has been poured into the reactor having built up there. TEPCO said the pool of water could reach up to 3,000 tons.
TEPCO will measure the level of radiation and detect the source of the water pool but if it comes from the core where much of the fuel has melted, it would be highly contaminated. As there are other places with high radiation levels in the No. 1 reactor building, it could further hinder installment of a new water circulation system altogether.
In other moves, Kan said the central government will consider special legislation aimed at compensating local residents and businesses that suffered damage from the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Kan said the government will carry out such compensation ''with great responsibility'' in a meeting with Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato, who asked the prime minister to take legislative steps because the current laws do not take into account damage stemming from misinformation regarding radioactive contamination of food produce.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano had earlier told a news conference that special legislation would be possible to create jobs and promote the agricultural and livestock industries in areas severely affected by the nuclear crisis.
It is the first time a worker has died at the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., known as TEPCO, since the March 11 massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a series of radiation leakage accidents there.
A doctor at the emergency medical center where the man in his 60s was transported told reporters, ''The cause of death may well have been a heart attack,'' adding that the impact of radiation is not likely to have been the cause.
No radioactive substances have been detected on the man, and he apparently sustained no injuries, the utility said. The man had started working at the plant on Friday and was wearing protective gear at the time of the accident. He was exposed to radiation totaling 0.17 millisievert.
The man, an employee of a subcontractor who had worked at another atomic plant before, collapsed about one hour after he began his work at 6 a.m. Saturday with another worker at a waste disposal processing facility. He was unconscious when he was taken to a medical room inside the plant past 7 a.m. and was confirmed dead at a hospital in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, the utility and other officials said.
The other worker has not complained of health problems, the company added.
''(The worker's death) is extremely regretful. Efforts should be made to check whether his death was caused by radiation,'' Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters.
The man's collapse occurred as the company continued Saturday work to install a new cooling system at the No. 1 plant, where much of the fuel in the core has melted after being fully exposed.
TEPCO said at the time when the employee collapsed there was no doctor in a building where workers and engineers stay at night. On May 4, the company revealed a plan to have doctors stay inside the Fukushima Daiichi complex as part of efforts to improve health care for the plant workers.
Some workers are reported to have been taken to hospitals or taken rest after they were suspected to have been suffering from heat stroke or dehydration. The protective gear makes it difficult for workers to drink enough liquid or use toilet facilities, and is seen as causing them stress.
''We don't always have a doctor at the plant. We've asked doctors to come when they can,'' a TEPCO official said.
In a related development, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said an extremely high level of radiation of more than 2,000 millisieverts per hour was logged on the first floor of the No. 1 reactor building of the Fukushima plant.
The agency also said a pool of water just over 4 meters deep was found in the basement of the building, suggesting the possibility of water that has been poured into the reactor having built up there. TEPCO said the pool of water could reach up to 3,000 tons.
TEPCO will measure the level of radiation and detect the source of the water pool but if it comes from the core where much of the fuel has melted, it would be highly contaminated. As there are other places with high radiation levels in the No. 1 reactor building, it could further hinder installment of a new water circulation system altogether.
In other moves, Kan said the central government will consider special legislation aimed at compensating local residents and businesses that suffered damage from the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Kan said the government will carry out such compensation ''with great responsibility'' in a meeting with Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato, who asked the prime minister to take legislative steps because the current laws do not take into account damage stemming from misinformation regarding radioactive contamination of food produce.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano had earlier told a news conference that special legislation would be possible to create jobs and promote the agricultural and livestock industries in areas severely affected by the nuclear crisis.
