Читать книгу Industrial and Medical Nuclear Accidents - Jean-Claude Amiard - Страница 66

Four hours after the accident began, approximately 50 families were evacuated within a radius of 350 m, 161 people living in 39 houses, and the area was closed to traffic [TAK 05a, TAK 05b]. In addition, approximately 320,000 residents residing within a 10 km radius were notified by loudspeakers, starting at 12:30 p.m. (2 hours after the onset of the chain reaction), to stay at home and close their windows. At 7 p.m., more than 5,000 families were still confined to their homes. A Tokai-Mura city official said the same day that the rain was facilitating the high radiation level in the vicinity of the accident site.

Three plant employees who had been exposed to radiation were transported by helicopter to hospital. The two most affected workers, aged 35 and 39, who reportedly received doses of 16,000–20,000 and 6,000–10,000 mSv, respectively, had symptoms of high radiation that are difficult to treat. About half of those who have suffered radiation at this level face death within 30 days. The two most seriously injured died after 12 weeks and 7 months. The third worker (54 years old) received a lower dose of 1,000–5,000 mSv. According to experts, the chances of this patient’s survival (who was suffering from severe pain) were reasonable, subject to possible complications in the short or long term from severe burns to the arm, head and neck. The quality of care provided to victims has made it possible to prolong their survival beyond what had ever been achieved in accidents of this type and has thus revealed complex and new pathologies [IRS 02].

It was only around 3 a.m. on Friday morning that employees tried to stop the reaction by pumping cooling water around the container and pouring sodium borate to absorb the neutrons. Twenty-four of these employees were seriously irradiated and reportedly received doses above 48 mSv and even up to 120 mSv for one of them. Of the accidentally exposed workers in the plant, 56 were exposed to a dose of 0.1–23 mSv and 21 other workers received high doses when the tank was drained. For members of the public, estimates are highly variable with one receiving 24 mSv, four receiving 10–15 mSv and 15 receiving 5–10 mSv.