Japan considers cell transplants for nuclear workers

Authorities in Japan may collect and freeze cells from engineers and water cannon operators at risk of exposure to high levels of radiation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, The Guardian reports. This precautionary measure might save the lives of workers exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation while trying to get the nuclear reactors back under control. The procedure, which is used to treat cancer patients whose bone marrow is destroyed by chemotherapy, requires workers to take a drug for many days that causes bone marrow to release stem cells into the blood. They’re then hooked up to a machine that filters their blood to extract stem cells.

The Guardian