Five workers accidentally get sprayed with radioactive fluid at Japan’s Fukushima plant

Five workers at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant accidentally got sprayed with radioactive fluid while cleaning a water filtration facility, leading to the hospitalisation of two of them.

The plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said that the workers were splashed with the liquid containing radioactive materials while cleaning the piping.

The accident took place on 25 October at about 10.40am when the workers were cleaning the pipes of the plant’s Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), which is used to treat contaminated radioactive water accumulated at the plant.

Tepco said the workers were pouring nitric acid into the piping at that time, according to local reports.

Tepco reported that the hose, which was used to transfer radioactive liquid waste into a containment tank, accidentally disconnected, resulting in the release of approximately 100 millilitres of the fluid.

The two workers, one in his 20s and the other in his 40s, were admitted to the Fukushima Medical University’s hospital to be decontaminated. Japan Times reported that they were under observation even though they did not sustain any visible injuries or complain of ill health.

According to Tepco, a doctor at the hospital said that the likelihood of both workers sustaining radiation-induced burns was minimal.

There were no injuries found on the exposed areas, the company said. All workers were reportedly wearing protective gear and masks to cover the full face. However, the fluid came into contact with the skin of four workers. Even though they received immediate rinsing at the plant, the radiation levels on the skin of two individuals did not decrease below the established threshold of 4 becquerels per square centimetre.

On 24 August, Tepco started the release of wastewater from Fukushima and these discharges are expected to continue for decades. The move faced opposition from fishing communities in Fukushima and neighbouring nations, including China, which swiftly imposed a ban on all imports of Japanese seafood.

Earlier this week, Lydie Evrard, IAEA deputy director general and head of the department of nuclear safety and security, said: “I would say that the first two batches of releases went well. No issues were observed.” She stated that she visited Fukushima last Friday to personally witness the situation.

Ms Evrard’s visit followed closely on the heels of a marine sampling mission conducted by a separate IAEA team, which consisted of scientists from China, South Korea, and Canada.