Workers at nuke plant complain about handling of radiation exposure data (Japan)

[jpak]

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110421p2a00m0na018000c.html

Emergency workers, engaged in desperate efforts to contain the crippled nuclear reactors in northeastern Japan, are lashing out at the government and contractors for their inconsistent handling of data on their exposure to radiation.

Some emergency workers say the government has been inconsistently and vaguely applying a "special measure" governing the maximum permissible level of radiation workers are allowed to be exposed to, allowing some workers to avoid the requirement to register their radiation exposure.

Exposure to a total of 100 millisieverts is usually the permissible level for nuclear plant workers dealing with an emergency, but the government took a "special measure" to raise the limit to 250 millisieverts for the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

"In the end, we are the workers who are exposed," said an emergency worker. "If the radiation data is handled vaguely, workers may not be able to have proof of their exposure to radiation if they need to fight court battles," said a person related to the nuclear industry.

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