#Nuclear reactor meltdown fukushima series

At the time of the quake, Reactor 4 had been de-fueled while 5 and 6 were in cold shutdown for planned maintenance. The plant comprises six separate boiling water reactors originally designed by General Electric (GE), and maintained by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami killed over 15,000 people from effects unrelated to destruction of the reactors at Fukushima. After hearing opinions from a panel of radiologists and other experts, the ministry ruled that the man's family should be paid compensation. In 2018 one worker died from lung cancer as a result from radiation exposure. As of 2020, the total number of cancer and leukemia instances has risen to six cases according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the government awarded workers’ compensation to a man who developed leukemia while working on the Fukushima cleanup in 2015 and has acknowledged that three other Fukushima workers developed leukemia and thyroid cancer after working on the plant cleanup. Workers involved in mitigating the effects of the accident do face minimally higher risks for some cancers. Īt least six workers have exceeded lifetime legal limits for radiation and more than 175 (0.7%) have received significant radiation doses.

According to UNSCEAR, evacuation and sheltering measures to protect the public significantly reduced potential radiation exposures by “a factor of 10”. Reports have pointed out that many of these deaths may have been caused by the evacuation period being too long, and that residents could have been allowed to return to their homes earlier in order to reduce the total related death toll. As of year 2016, among those deaths, 1,368 have been listed as 'related to the nuclear power plant' according to media analysis. 'Disaster-related deaths' are deaths attributed to disasters and are not caused by direct physical trauma, but does not distinguish between people displaced by the nuclear disaster compared to the earthquake / tsunami. This value exceeds the number that have died in Fukushima prefecture directly from the earthquake and tsunami. As of 27 February 2017, the Fukushima prefecture government counted 2,129 'disaster-related deaths' in the prefecture. Degraded living conditions and separation from support networks are likely contributing factors. The victims include hospital inpatients and elderly people at nursing facilities who died from causes such as hypothermia, deterioration of underlying medical problems, and dehydration.įor long-term displacement, many people (mostly sick and elderly) died at an increased rate while in temporary housing and shelters. For evacuation, the estimated number of deaths during and immediately after transit range from 34 to 'greater than 50'. Many deaths are attributed to the evacuation and subsequent long-term displacement following emergency mass evacuation. Predicted future cancer deaths due to accumulated radiation exposures in the population living near Fukushima have ranged in the academic literature from none to hundreds. However, studies by the World Health Organisation and Tokyo University have shown that no discernible increase in the rate of cancer deaths is expected. Given the uncertain health effects of low-dose radiation, cancer deaths cannot be ruled out. Despite this, there were no deaths caused by acute radiation syndrome. It was the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, and the radiation released exceeded official safety guidelines.

#Nuclear reactor meltdown fukushima series

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident ( 福島第一原子力発電所事故, Fukushima Dai-ichi ( pronunciation) genshiryoku hatsudensho jiko) was a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns, and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011.

Ģ workers taken to hospital with radiation burns Ģ4 hours live camera for Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster on YouTube, certified by Tokyo Electric Power Co. INES Level 7 (ratings by Japanese authorities as of 11 April) ġ confirmed from radiation (lung cancer, 4 years later), and 2,202 from evacuation.