A total of 269 cases linked to the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant work have been deemed as job-related accidents and covered by compensation since the 2011 nuclear disaster, labor ministry officials said Thursday, underscoring the harsh conditions onsite workers still face.
The workers' compensation claims that have been recognized by labor authorities include six cases of workers who developed cancer or leukemia due to radiation exposure, and four others who suffered from overwork-related illnesses, according to the
Decommissioning of the Fukushima plant is still under way nearly 10 years after the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern
The compensation claims that have been approved refer to the period since the
According to the plant operator,
One worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told
"I have to deal with so much anxiety and stress as I could never know what may happen inside a nuclear power plant," said the man from Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
According to the worker, he wears two protective layers of clothing and tapes them together so there is no space between them, and also puts on a raincoat.
"I sweat a lot even in winter and I drink a lot of water," he said, adding that several of his colleagues suffered from heat stroke or heat exhaustion while working at the plant.
At the site of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, 313 accidents have occurred in the same period of time, including several fatal cases between 2014 and 2015 in which workers fell into a tank,
Acknowledging that many accidents had occurred, a
==Kyodo
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