Two employees at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant were hospitalized Friday after wading into water 10,000 times more radioactive than normal. A possible breach of one of the reactors is to blame.
The National Institute of Radiological Sciences tells Kyodo News that the two have likely suffered "internal exposure" in which radioactive substances have entered their bodies.
The possible breach in Unit 3 might be a crack or a hole in the stainless steel chamber of the reactor core or in the spent fuel pool that's lined with several feet of reinforced concrete. The temperature and pressure inside the core, which holds the fuel rods, remained stable and was far lower than would further melt the core.
A Japanese government official told residents within 19 miles of the crippled plant to evacuate Friday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference that the government asked leaders of affected municipalities to encourage people to leave the affected areas, according to Kyodo News.
A somber Prime Minister Naoto Kan sounded a pessimistic note at a briefing hours after nuclear safety officials announced what could be a major setback in the urgent mission to stop the plant from leaking radiation, two weeks after a devastating earthquake and tsunami disabled it.
"The situation today at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant is still very grave and serious. We must remain vigilant," Kan said. "We are not in a position where we can be optimistic. We must treat every development with the utmost care."
The uncertain situation halted work at the nuclear complex, where dozens had been trying feverishly to stop the overheated plant from leaking dangerous radiation. The plant has leaked some low levels of radiation, but a breach could mean a much larger release of contaminants.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/25/dangerous-breach-suspected-japan-nuclear-plant
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