50 workers bravely stay at troubled Japan reactors

As far as I can tell these 50 are really taking one for the team.

By KEITH BRADSHER and HIROKO TABUCHI

updated 3/15/2011 10:05:11 PM ET
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A small crew of technicians, braving radiation and fire, became the only people remaining at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Tuesday — and perhaps Japan’s last chance of preventing a broader nuclear catastrophe.

They crawl through labyrinths of equipment in utter darkness pierced only by their flashlights, listening for periodic explosions as hydrogen gas escaping from crippled reactors ignites on contact with air.

They breathe through uncomfortable respirators or carry heavy oxygen tanks on their backs. They wear white, full-body jumpsuits with snug-fitting hoods that provide scant protection from the invisible radiation sleeting through their bodies.

They are the faceless 50, the unnamed operators who stayed behind. They have volunteered, or been assigned, to pump seawater on dangerously exposed nuclear fuel, already thought to be partly melting and spewing radioactive material, to prevent full meltdowns that could throw thousands of tons of radioactive dust high into the air and imperil millions of their compatriots.
The company continued to fight problems in several reactors on Wednesday, including a fire at the plant.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42101198/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

It seems there was an issue of some sort where they ordered them to all go inside but that passed and they are now back to work. But giving what is going on there I really don't see how these people can ultimately survive so what difference does it make if they are outside or inside?

But it is just really hard to say with all the conflicting news.

"They have volunteered, or been assigned"

Heroes or just Poor Fucking Guys?

Damn...

Sonoman

but on the other hand I don't see how you could keep someone in a situation like this against their will. So I am assuming that they are there of their own free will and volition.

I honor them with my whole heart. They are heroes and I hope to follow in their footsteps in times to come, if I can.

In this case, they are most likely dead men walking.

They remind me of what it means to put the greater good before anything as trivial and meaningless as profit! They are one of my kind and I will keep their sacrifice in mind every day for it is about honor, courage and true values that we all need to consider.

For me, each day is a very good day to die!

In this country such workers would likely be treated as heroes---for about two weeks, and then be forgotten, and left with a lifetime of medical bills, insurance coverage denials, deductables and co-pays. Efforts to have the government help them would be shouted down as socialism or communism.

As soon as this is over. They deserve to make the most out of the time they have left.

They will be well taken care of. This is a country that treats its citizens well. In fact, even its non-citizen residents who get the same insurance. It covers everything and even dental for a pittance compared to similar care in the US.