Hisashi Ouchi: The Lab Technician Who Suffered The Worst Radiation Death In History
Peak Interest/YouTubeHisashi Ouchi became the most radioactive man in history after a lab accident.
There’s a reason why workplace health and safety guidelines exist, and the chilling story of Hisashi Ouchi shows just how important they are — especially if you happen to work at a nuclear power plant.
On September 30, 1999, the 35-year-old Ouchi and two others were working at the Tokaimura Nuclear Power Plant in Tokaimura, Japan under a tight deadline put in place by the Japan Nuclear Fuel Conversion Company.
The plant converted uranium hexafluoride into enriched uranium for the purposes of nuclear energy. This usually involved a meticulous, carefully-timed, multi-step process. But Ouchi and his coworkers Masato Shinohara and Yutaka Yokokawa attempted to take a shortcut to meet their deadline.
Unfortunately, this led to a horrific nuclear accident involving a uranium solution. The plant underwent emergency evacuation as the three men were rushed to the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba. They had all been directly exposed to harmful radiation, but to different degrees.
Yokokawa, the sole survivor of the group, was exposed to three sieverts of radiation. Shinohara was exposed to 10 sieverts. And Ouchi was exposed to a whopping 17 sieverts — which was more than any human in history.
Wikimedia CommonsThe nuclear plant where Hisashi Ouchi worked.
By the time Ouchi arrived at the hospital, his body was already covered in burns, and his eyes were leaking blood. But his agony had just begun.
Three days after the accident, Ouchi was transferred to the University of Tokyo Hospital. His lack of white blood cells and his nonexistent immune response prompted experts to try a number of procedures to save him.
At first, doctors tried countless skin grafts and blood transfusions. Then, they attempted stem cell transplants. Sadly, none of this seemed to be working. And according to the Daily Star, Ouchi soon cried out, “I can’t take it anymore! I am not a guinea pig!” just a week into his treatment.
But although he begged for death, his family insisted that doctors keep trying experimental treatments. Even when Ouchi’s skin began to melt from his body, his relatives ordered his doctors to do whatever it took to keep him alive. All in all, Ouchi was kept alive against his will for a harrowing 83 days.
At one point, he suffered three heart attacks in one hour. Following the guidelines from his family, the doctors resuscitated him again and again. Every time he died and came back, he suffered brain damage.
On December 21, 1999, Ouchi finally, mercifully died of his last heart attack after multi-organ failure. It was only then that his torture ceased.
Colin Scott: The Yellowstone Tourist Who Was Boiled Alive By A Hot Spring
FacebookColin Scott was looking for a place to swim in Yellowstone National Park when he tragically fell into blazing hot water.
In 2016, a 23-year-old Oregon man named Colin Scott and his sister Sable were visiting Yellowstone National Park when they decided to wander into a prohibited section in search of a place to swim or to soak.
Although certain regions of the park are safe and open for swimming, the Norris Geyser Basin is not one of them. According to the National Park Service, the basin is the oldest and hottest thermal region in the park. Most thermal features in the region reach at least 199 degrees Fahrenheit.
But its natural beauty makes it a popular spot for visitors. One area of the basin has a 1.5-mile trail of boardwalks, where tourists can safely explore. Generally, those sticking to the boardwalks won’t encounter any issues.
Colin and Sable Scott, however, did not stick to the boardwalks.
Going off the path, the siblings explored a restricted area near the basin and looked for a spot to “get into and soak.” Sable was filming a video of her brother trekking along when he suddenly tripped — and fell into a hot spring.
In a panic, Sable desperately tried to help her brother out of the water, but she couldn’t save him. Since she had no cell phone service at the basin, she ran to a nearby museum for help, according to The Guardian.
But when park officials arrived, Colin was already dead, and authorities could only see “portions” of his head, torso, and hands in the spring. He had been boiled alive. And unfortunately for his family members, an incoming storm made it too difficult for officials to safely recover his body that day.
By the next morning, his body was no longer visible. A report concluded: “The consensus among the rescue/recovery team… was that the extreme heat of the hot spring, coupled with its acidic nature, dissolved the remains.”
