Japan: 50 Fukushima Workers Remain And Face Radiation Leak Risks
By VOA
As Japan’s nuclear crisis worsens, 50 workers inside the stricken Fukushima nuclear power have put personal concerns aside in their efforts to prevent a meltdown that could cause a major radiation leak.
Dressed in protective gear, the 50 have stayed behind while all other employees have been evacuated. The radiation level in the plant already has reached a level harmful to human health.
The workers have been fighting to inject water into the reactors since the plant’s cooling system broke down after Friday’s earthquake and tsunami. They were forced to release some of the radio active steam from the reactors in order to prevent the buildup of pressure, which could cause a huge nuclear disaster.
On Tuesday, exhausted from these efforts, they had to fight the outbreak of fire in one unit, following an early morning explosion.
Experts say a meltdown at the nuclear plant could release several types of radioactive substances into the atmosphere.
