US sailors sue Japanese utility over radiation

Japan nuclear power plant_20110321050303_JPG

Japanese rescue workers prepare to sift through debris during a search in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Monday, March 21, 2011 following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the northeast coast of Japan. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Regular Photo Size

Posted: 12/28/2012

By: Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Eight U.S. sailors who served on a humanitarian mission to Japan in the wake of the tsunami-triggered Fukushima nuclear reactor crisis are suing the utility that operates the power plant.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego last week against Tokyo Electric Power Co., which is owned by the Japanese government. Plaintiffs include the infant daughters of two of the sailors.

The 37-page suit charges that the utility lied about the level of radiation in the atmosphere following the March 2011 disaster. The sailors served on the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. They claim they were exposed to harmful levels of radiation that could result in cancer and a shorter lifespan.

An email seeking response from the utility's corporate office was not immediately returned.