On October 20, 2015, Japan’s health ministry announced that a worker has been diagnosed with acute leukemia because of his exposure to radiation while he was cleaning up the damaged nuclear reactors at Fukushima. He is the first worker to be diagnosed with cancer related to the nuclear disaster.
The now 41-year-old man was part of the cleanup effort at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station from 2012 and 2013. In that time, he accumulated 15.7 mSv of radiation—more than double the dose the average person receives per year (6.2 mSv) in the United States—despite the monthly dose limit set by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) at 1.71 mSv per month. This news follows the heels of a study published earlier this month finding higher rates of thyroid cancer among children in Fukushima since the accident.
Nuclear accidents are not a common occurrence, but one must stay prepared with the right tools if disaster strikes. Excessive radiation, especially in the long term, can produce serious health problems; workers who encounter it daily must keep track of their exposure for their safety. X-Z LAB provides radiation detection devices equipped with patented technology to ensure users can assess risk levels appropriately, immediately, and affordably. With RadTarge II | Electronic Personal Dosimeter, users can see their dose in real time and be alerted if the dose rate crosses the threshold. Accumulated dose records can also be viewed on a PC using the RadSuite-Dose software—no need to wait on another facility see your results.