Japan recognizes the first radiation-related death in Fukushima, seven years after the disaster

The Japanese government has acknowledged for the first time that a former worker at the Fukushima nuclear power plant died from radiation exposure – seven years after the tsunami.

It is unclear when the man died, but the Ministry of Health and Labor stated that the man had died of cancer caused by radiation exposure and that his family should receive compensation from workers.

In March 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake rocked northeastern Japan, causing a massive tsunami that flooded the Fukushima Daiichi plant and caused it to collapse. More than 18,000 people were killed by the earthquake and tsunami.

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The earthquake and massive floods cut energy from the cooling systems at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Three of the six reactors have been partially melted. Radiation was projected into the air and highly contaminated water entered the Pacific.

The man, who was only in his 50s, was responsible for measuring radiation levels at the plant immediately after the disaster. He worked at the factory for over 28 years and wore a protective suit and a full face mask while he was working.

The man was diagnosed with lung cancer in February 2016, reported Sky News. His family has asked that the exact date of his death remain private.

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The Department of Health reported that the man had "developed cancer due to a total radiation exposure of about 195 milliseconds," reported the NHK.

According to Reuters, exposure to 100 millisieverts of radiation per year "is the lowest level at which any increase in cancer risk is clearly evident."

This is the first death the Japanese government attributed to radiation, but four other workers in Fukushima who developed leukemia and thyroid cancer after working on cleaning the plant were found eligible for compensation. .

According to an article in Asashi Shumbun, 17 workers at the Fukushima factory filed a workers' compensation claim with the Ministry of Health. Four were compensated and five were rejected. Five more are waiting and two have withdrawn their applications.