[Peace-discuss] Japan Raises Radiation Dose Safety Limit

[C. G. Estabrook]

  NHK and Nikkei, "Japan Raises Radiation Dose Safety Limit for Nuclear 
Emergency Workers"

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has determined that the existing 
national safety standard that limits radiation dose makes it impossible to 
extract enough work time from the workers employed to cool down the nuclear 
reactors at the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant. The ministry has decided that, 
in the event of emergency, the safety limit is to be 250 millisieverts, 2.5 
times the previous limit. At Fukushima 1, the level of radiation is 400 
millisieverts per hour. The previous limit of 100 millisieverts means that 
workers can work for only 15 minutes; the new limit of 250 millisieverts means 
that they can work for 30 minutes. The ministry explained that "this is an 
emergency measure, taken in response to the Prime Minister's request, to prevent 
this nuclear disaster from escalating."