TEPCO workers in Fukushima distressed by abuse after nuclear disaster

Hundreds of Tokyo Electric Power Co. employees at the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power plants suffered psychological distress two to three months after the nuclear disaster last year.

A recent study found that more than 40 percent of the workers were affected, mainly as a result of personal attacks from people who considered them responsible for causing the crisis at the No. 1 plant, according to researchers led by Jun Shigemura, a psychiatrist at the National Defense Medical College, and Takeshi Tanigawa, a professor of public health at Ehime University.

“Discrimination still exists,” Shigemura said. “Unjust and excessive personal attacks against individual nuclear plant workers could even hinder (the plant’s) recovery.”

The team carried out a survey of all 1,760 TEPCO employees working at the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 plants in May and June of 2011. Of those, 1,495, or 85 percent, responded.
[link to ajw.asahi.com]