Toxic water splashes 6 in Japan nuke plant mishap

[IDemo]

Source: Associated Press

Tokyo: Six workers at Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant have been accidentally doused with highly radioactive water, the plant operator said on Wednesday, adding to a growing list of mishaps that are shaking confidence in the utility’s ability to handle the crisis.

The workers removed the wrong pipe from equipment at the plant, sending toxic water spilling onto them and the entire floor of the facility housing a set of three units designed for primary, partial water treatment, said Yoshimi Hitosugi, the spokesman for Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.

Exposure to the workers, who were wearing face masks with filters, protective hazmat suits and rainwear, is believed minor but still under investigation, Hitosugi said. The six were part of an 11-member team, and the remaining five were not splashed, he said. The workers managed to reattach the pipe.

The accident is the latest in a spate of leaks and other problems caused by human error that have added to public criticism of TEPCO’s handling of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi, which is still in precarious condition since its triple meltdowns following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Read more: http://gulfnews.com/news/world/other-world/toxic-water-splashes-6-in-japan-nuke-plant-mishap-1.1241169

[valerief]

1. The world is being splashed. nt

[MBS]

2. yup. n/t

[dotymed]

9. It seems that it is in meltdown too.

[GliderGuider]

3. This is ominous

It looks to me as though the combination of TEPCO's hiring practices, poor on-site management, inexperienced workers and stress are taking their toll.

I've been pretty phlegmatic about the situation up until now, but the latest reports have awoken the horror in my soul. What new missteps, creeping disasters and coverups are just down the road in fukushima?

[madokie]

4. Wait until they start removing the spent fuel rods

if you want to see how screwed we really are.
I say that based on the many other mishaps caused by incompetence and poor choices by those in charge.

I have a feeling this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, if ever it gets better that is.

Shut the sunsabiotches down and let the chip fall where they may. We as a people will survive, I've a hunch much better that we would if they aren't shut down.

[GliderGuider]

5. I'd be in favour of shutting them down if we could.

There's a lot of political power between here and there, and some of it isn't accessible to public pressure.

It's just another aspect of how screwed we are as a civilization. We thought we were doing the best we could to ensure a good life for our kids (and their kids, and their kids' kids...), and this is where we've ended up. 400+ ppm of CO2 from fossil fuels in the air, 400+ nuclear reactors on the ground, a melting Arctic, a dying global ocean and GMO food.

Way to go, H. saps - we win! Gosh darn it, we're clever!

[AtheistCrusader]

6. It's an industrial disaster in the middle of a natural disaster.

There are bound to be mishaps. People die building comparably trivial shit, like cell phone towers.

Doesn't matter who does it, workers will be injured and killed cleaning this up.

[freshwest]

7. In the long run, it may not be 'minor' for the 6 workers.

[pam4water]

8. +1

[The Stranger]

10. I had suggested that, instead of bombing Syria, we bomb TEPCO.

I'm out of responses to this.