Japan's Nuclear Power Plant Workers: Making the Ultimate Sacrifice

Ever thought about dying at work? It happens, and EMTs are dispatched to roll a heart attack victim out on a gurney. I prefer to go peacefully in bed, in my sleep, and not knowing what hit me. No matter the reason, I don’t want to die at work.

I’d prefer to die being comforted by the gentle touch of my wife’s hand on my cheek. Short of that, hit by an unseen train traveling at 70 miles an hour. Poof, I’m gone, and I didn’t even know it hit me. Unfortunately, only in rare cases do we get to choose how we die.

So today, unless reports out of Japan are mistaken, it appears there’s a group of Japanese workers having the experience of dying at work at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

It begs the question, what’s it going to be like for them over the next several days?

We know for certain that two containment domes have exploded, allegedly as a result of a hydrogen/oxygen detonation. The explosions were massive, and several people were hurt, although officials claim there was no damage to the reactors themselves.

Officials allege that radiation leakage is minimal, however that doesn’t square with other facts we’ve been given. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, stationed 100 miles offshore, has declared its crew received exposure equivalent to 30 days of radiation in only one hour. That’s a startling amount.

If people 100 miles away are experiencing increased radiation levels, the people working in the control facilities certainly have been affected. How long will they be able to last, even in their protective environment, before the radiation affects them?

The lack of preparedness for this catastrophe is obvious, evidenced by the fact that the security guards are only protected by gas masks and not radiation suits. Given the exposure level on the USS Ronald Reagan, you know they’re dead men walking.

While in the USAF I was aware that I could be used as cannon fodder, or as a test subject in some grotesque medical experiment. Maybe the people working in nuclear power plants understand that as well, and that’s why they’re so well paid. Now they get to earn that paycheck.

They must recognize they’re being bombarded with deadly radiation, and the symptoms of radiation poisoning are well documented and happen quickly. They would manifest in your and your coworkers on a daily, or even hourly basis. Imagine that mind-fuck.

Your throat gets scratchy, you get sores on your lips and nose and when you scratch your head your hair falls out. The guy at the next console tries to stand but collapses on the floor, and is carried out on a stretcher. All while you’re working at a frenetic, breakneck pace to shut down the nuclear reactor that’s melting down so that millions of your countrymen aren’t also killed.

A second group of workers to consider are the replacements for this first group. As they die they’ll need to send in someone else to sit in that chair. Will they ask for volunteers, or will people be ordered into the plant at gunpoint? That drama is playing out in Japan right now.

There’s a third group, and that’s the crew of the USS Ronald Reagan. Ships are dispatched to a set of longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates, and they were sent smack dab into the middle of the radiation cloud. Everyone on that ship understands they’re being used as guinea pigs so the United States can gather intelligence on the extent of this disaster.

During the days of extensive above-ground nuclear testing, detailed readings were taken on the spread of nuclear fallout based on atmospheric conditions. Using this information, and by knowing the radiation levels 100 miles downwind, it allows scientists to mathematically back into a reading on the amount of radiation being released. Thank you, USS Ronald Reagan and crew.

It’s a dirty job, but someone had to do it. The only question is have they been ordered to retreat from the radiation zone, or does their duty as lab rats continue? Imagine what that does for morale.

Now we could have multiple groups of workers dying, although the crew of the Reagan will likely experience a far more protracted demise than the men and women working in the control room in Fukushima. Regardless, the fact is that workers are being asked to die because of the avarice of capitalism, and you have to wonder how much longer we’ll tolerate it.

The refrain is always there’s no time to talk about it now, we need to get through this crisis, and then we’ll have extensive discussions and investigations. I say no more; there’s no better place or time than here and now, before one more person dies due to corporate avarice and governmental malfeasance.

What’s more likely to happen is that hundreds, or even thousands, will die rescuing us from this man-made hell, and when it’s over the state will use them as rallying points. By making them heroes it will be impossible to have meaningful discussions, because we’ll be accused of besmirching the memories of these fallen heroes. It’s predictable.

So what’s going through the minds of the people in that control room right now? Do you think anyone is showing signs of radiation sickness yet? The security guards have been outside with only gas masks to protect them for 48 hours, and it’s unimaginable they’re not showing the effects of radiation exposure.

As they drop, one by one, don’t you believe that the remaining workers would prefer to be home with their families, even if it’s just for a few minutes before they die? Can they keep their minds on their tasks, or is the distraction of imminent death too great for them? It’s hard to imagine they are not having anxiety or panic attacks as they try to work through all this.

You know there are several identical reactors built by General Electric up and down the West Coast of the United States along the San Andreas fault. Japan is said to have the highest earthquake standards in the world, so what does that mean for us?

Having watched Mad Max and other post-nuclear apocalyptic flicks, I always assumed that it was caused by a war. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if we did ourselves in because we were too stupid to use windmills instead of nuclear power plants? The most important lessons always come at the highest price. We’d better write this one down and put it in a time capsule, because we might not be around to take advantage of it.