Fukushima heroes: Not afraid to die

Updated at 12:49 p.m., March 16

Since the disaster struck in Japan, about 800 workers have been evacuated from the damaged nuclear complex in Fukushima. The radiation danger is that great.

However, CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that a handful have stayed on the job, risking their lives, to try to save the lives of countless people they don't even know. The exact number of workers is unclear and has been reported to be anywhere from 50 to 180.

Although communication with the workers inside the nuclear plant is nearly impossible, a CBS News consultant spoke to a Japanese official who made contact with one of the workers inside the control center.

The official said that his friend told him that he was not afraid to die, that that was his job.

Cham Dallas, who led teams responding to the Chernobyl disaster, said that kind of response is not out of the normal for some workers in the nuclear energy sector.

"(In) my experience of people in the action area of nuclear power is much like that," Dallas said.

Special report: Disaster in Japan
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How Fukushima explosions differ from Chernobyl

The workers are doing so amid decreasing but still dangerously high levels of radiation. On Wednesday, Japanese officials raised the legal limit on radiation for the workers from 100 millisieverts to 250.

"The longer they stay the more dangerous it becomes for them," said expert Margaret Harding. "I think it is a testament to their guts for them to say, 'We'll stay and if that means we go, we go.'"

If the contamination threat isn't contained in a few weeks, finding enough workers willing to face the risks could become a crucial challenge.

Dallas said he expects that in that scenario, the Japanese energy authorities may have to find volunteers willing to undergo similar dangers, which will be hard to do, but not impossible.

Keep in mind they'd be volunteering to head into a place so potentially dangerous, that anyone within 20 miles of it was just asked to evacuate.

[paul1970a]

An amazing tribute video, everyone should see and hear this. The Fukushima Fifty deserve our most sincere respect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogE3DTRkpq4

[terrytreetokio]

To the people in overseas

I would like to thank you for all the support you are giving us in this difficult moment.
I especially appreciate your warm observation of Japanese people.
There are no Japanese who is not proud of being Japanese when we hear you admire us on TV or news papers. About our patience and manners in devastation. No one has started it with intention of being recognized by foreign countries but we've been just doing whatever we can do right now.

Now we are recognized and admired of the Japanese routine, we are really proud of it. It's giving us much greater motivation and energy to continue to do the same than you can ever imagine.

We've been always and somehow feeling small in the world as an individual. Mentally weak and shy, guilty-motivated person of each, in spite of all the success in many industrial fields and GDP. We seldom considered ourselves as people to be proud of. You may call it low self esteem as a whole. Now we are facing the worst disaster since the world war II. We are beaten to inside the bones. Almost no idea of where to begin to rebuild our country on those pieces of houses and cars, and dead bodies with the air of radiation.
Then we hear your voices from all over the world. Telling us we can do it, we are unbelievably patient and we are something of good example for many other countries. You wouldn't know how much it means to us. Even nasty bloggers and twitterers, unpatriotic kids, and suicidal people feel proud of being Japanese now, and it's all because of you, your recognition and admiration on top of showing your support and generous offers to this small island in east.
We are now aware of what we have been doing is not so wrong, and some people actually like us and believe our ability to start from worse than zero. It may not have reached the people in grieving in Tohoku yet, but other people who heard of it will let them know. We will start helping and rebuilding the land first because the world gave us courage and trust. Now we know we can do it because you assure us.
Thank you again for your warm supports and messages. We will never forget it, and we will never give up on hope in this country. God bless you all !

[gosstom]

Imam Obom and his Sec. of State Lady Bubba think they are the "Masters of the Universe"...How sad...How pathetic, tragic and sad...

[RedWings_ninety_one]

I saw a picture of a Chernobyl Power Plant worker walking the halls of reactor number 4 in Chernobyl on Feb 28, 2011....the only thing that bugged me about that picture was the fact that the lights were on. I am wondering how that happened, I doubt that they used a generator.

[FreshxWater]

CEOs, executives, and board members from Tokyo Electric and GE should be the ones working in the plant now. This should be written INTO LAW. It's the only way you'll get corporations to follow proper safety procedures.
PS. Add in the Banker CEOs who finance the projects!

Google:Thom Hartmann: It's a bigger nuclear disaster then you think!
DO NOT WATCH if you think you'll

[JavMD]

HELP< HELP HELP Obama? . He talks 'highly' of NUKE but kills funding for the proper storage at Yucca Mountain for SPENT FUEL RODS.. and we KNOW how 'dangerous' they can BE !!!! do you not agree to that.

Just to please Harry Reid, fellow senate democrat from Nevada for 'helping' him, he kills Yucca Mountain where for years, administration after administration, charging Nuke plants 'money' to build DEEP underground safe storage for SPENT fuel... and OBAMA kills it.



NOW SPENT FUEL, highly radioactive REMAINS at all active NUKE PLANTS across the USA, with very little SHIELDING ... JUST LIKE JAPAN ! ! !


HELP>>> call or write your Senators !!! ! ! ! ! restore FUNDING to Yucca MOUNTAIN.. better YET, get those FUEL RODS UNDERGROUND>>> they are the big source of the worst NASTY RADIATION !!!

HELP PEOPLE>> MAKE THE SENATE Chair person Senator Boxer and Feldstein aware of this.. NOTICE HARRY REID IS SO QUIET !!!!!

[Timesam]

I (a strong Obama supporter) think this is at least a legitimate issue. I just read a report that in 2009 Secretary Chu said the federal government was looking into a better way to store the spent rods. Hopefully, this crisis in Japan will cause some quick and effective action.

[tripleeagle4]

My opinion is most of these 50 brave souls have a few weeks to live. The radiation poisoning is a terrible death. Over a million died from radiation poisoning in Chernobyl. This was a melt down.

The Japan site had three spectacular EXPLOSIONS. The need to seal this with concrete and polymers seems like the next order of business for the power company. The water to cool the reactors is simply not a viable solution. You have a major problem you solve the problem.

[greco99-2009]

If the nuclear fallout continues to east with the prevailing wind, the US government or others should take steps to induce rain (I believe silver iodide will do this).

While it is tragic to contaminate sections of the pacific, this would be better than if the cloud drifts to population centers on the west coast of the US and Canada.

Even more important because this cloud carries high concentrations of plutonium due the fuel mix (MOX) used at these reactors. And, if the fuel holding areas start to burn this will be an immense volume of particulate matter released.

Breathing, eating or drinking even a small concentration -- especially of plutonium mix we are facing -- would likely create very ugly health problems.

Moreover this type of particulate pollution is likely to create hot spots, possibly far from the site. And, these hot spots will remain toxic for a very long time. It is more like a trail of volcanic ash than a giant amorphous cloud, and will land in patchy streamers.

This type of danger does not accurately compare to solar radiation or chest x-rays. And, measuring ambient radiation with any unit rad or seivert does not capture this extreme risk of plutonium contamination. which is much more toxic than Chernoybl.

Also, potassium iodide will do nothing to protect people from plutonium, which will contaminate land for many, many generations.

Here arre initial amateur simulations. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/article.html?entrynum=1762

NYT claims the plume will hit the USA in days:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/science/17plume.html?_r=1&hpw

The disturbing part is that the US us not making the data public.

[greco99-2009]

While the bosses and owners who got rich take the first flights out of the country.

These bosses and owners who are on record as lying about safty are possible among the worst criminals in history!

[greco99-2009]

There is more than enough power that is commercially viable today from solar, wind, geothermal and other sources.

Smart grids and other conservation technologies can eliminate the need for more power than is generated by all nuclear combined.

We need a massive public effort to create and implement these new safe, clean and renewable power sources.

The main driving factor behind nuclear is greed -- greedy people who want to reap massive profits while shifting the risk to the rest of us.

Now, it the time to drive these corrupt, lying, greedy people and their toxic nuclear technologies out of the economy permanently and on a global basis.

I say 'if they lie or act with deliberate recklessness then their liability limits are worthless' and their assets should subject to seizure.

[TheKnowerseeker]

As a Christian, I am praying for Japan and for the nuclear and emergency workers risking their lives to stop the nuclear crisis.