Two Fukushima Nuclear Plant Workers Internally Exposed to Radiation... 2 Exposures in 2 Weeks

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A worker at the Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered internal radiation exposure.

Kyodo News reported on the 19th that a male worker in his 40s, belonging to a subcontractor conducting an investigation related to contaminated water treatment at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant the previous afternoon, was internally exposed to radioactive materials.

The maximum radiation dose (tentative assessment) is expected to reach 0.61 millisieverts (mSv) over the next 50 years, Kyodo News cited Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

The worker involved in the accident was reportedly wearing a full-face mask while working in an area with high radiation levels.

However, test results showed radioactive material adhered around his nose and mouth, which was confirmed to have entered his body.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, where this accident occurred, had a similar incident on the 6th, where a subcontractor worker was also internally exposed.

According to Japan's Ministry of the Environment, internal radiation exposure refers to the phenomenon where radioactive materials enter the body?through ingestion such as eating, inhalation of airborne radioactive materials, or absorption through wounds?causing the body to be exposed to radiation.

Radioactive materials that enter the body are either expelled through excretion or continue to affect the body until their radioactivity weakens over time.