A worker at a Japanese nuclear fuel reprocessing plant was being tested for possible exposure to a small amount of radiation on Saturday, but appeared to be suffering no health problems, the operator of the plant said.
A local government official said earlier the worker had been exposed to a small amount of radiation but seemed to be suffering no ill effects. Authorities were looking into the incident, he added. The incident occurred at a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho in Aomori prefecture, northern Japan, operated by Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.
The company said in a statement there was no effect on the environment, other workers or other facilities. Initial tests failed to show evidence of exposure to radiation, and an examination by a doctor also showed no abnormalities.
The results of additional tests will take a week to 10 days, it said. One of the worst accidents at any nuclear facility in Japan occurred at a uranium-processing plant in Tokaimura on September 30, 1999, when an uncontrolled chain reaction was triggered after three poorly trained workers used buckets to mix nuclear fuel in a tub.
The resulting release of radiation killed two workers and forced the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents. In August 2004, hot water and steam leaking from a broken pipe at Kansai Electric Power Co's Mihama No 3 nuclear power generator killed five workers in Japan's worst nuclear power plant accident.
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