Do you think it's worth up to USD$5000/day to be a "jumper" at TEPCO plant?

Question:

A "jumper" is when you go in an area with high radiation and do a set of tasks such as sealing or mending pipes, for instance and get out in less than 2 minutes..depending on the task at hand. The radiation is much higher than at Chernobyl. It's also not a matter of bravery but logic and critical thinking on step by step tasks. So do you think it's worth it? TEPCO is still looking for volunteers, and my friend and I are thinking about doing it. He works at the Kashiwazaki plant and I worked at Point Beach in the US but am in Niigata.

Answer:

Are you a gambling man? That's really the question. (And really? They're paying volunteers that much?? I thought the TEPCO workers were doing it for regular wages . . . . I'd like to see a cite please -- not questioning you but would like to know more.)

Whether the radiation will manage to get past your protective gear and knock the wrong little cell bit into cancer or otherwise is the gamble.

But, in the meantime, it's quite a glorious thing. The problems there need to be fixed, not just to stop the radiation from escaping and contaminating a broader area, but to re-instill confidence in Japan in general. So many people are freaked out just by the idea of radiation.

I would say, though, this is a better job for someone who has already done all the reproducing s/he plans to do. If you haven't had kids yet, you might want to pass up the opportunity.