Doctor Describes TEPCO Workers' Health and Living Conditions

http://spectrum.ieee.org/image/1867862
Poor conditions: The gym where workers slept on the floor, as of May 9

In his role as an industrial physician, Tanigawa has been visiting both the Fukushima Dai-1 and Dai-2 nuclear plants on a regular bases since 1991 to counsel plant workers on health matters. Some workers were already suffering from hypertension and sleep apnea before the 11 March disaster due to the stress of shift work. But what Tanigawa heard and saw when he visited the workers from 16 to 18 April shocked him.

The workers told him that for up to 10 days following the earthquake, they had no access to showers or baths, said Tanigawa. The food was of low quality, and the workers were unable to return home or confirm the safety of their family members during that time.

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Tanigawa visited the plant again from 6 to 9 May. He and his colleagues had prepared a questionnaire, which has been distributed to 1,800 TEPCO workers working in the Fukushima Dai-1 and Dai-2 power plants to help identify symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical check-ups will be provided based on the results of the questionnaire and interviews.

Since stressing the need for better living conditions, Tanigawa has seen the provision of individual beds and better food for workers, including the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. After working in shifts of four days in the plant, workers now have two days rest, which most spend in the gymnasium located near the Dai-2 nuclear plant, given that the vast majority of workers' homes are inside the evacuation zone around the Dai-1 nuclear plant, and are therefore off-limits.


http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/energy/nuclear/doctor-describes-tepco-workers-health-and-living-conditions-

:thumbsdown:

/s