Hisashi Ouchi

A freak accident at a Japanese nuclear plant more than 20 years ago exposed a technician to the highest levels of radiation ever suffered by a human being.

Hisashi Ouchi came to be known as the 'world's most radioactive man' after suffering the accident. But the details of his harrowing and torturous time in the hospital have left the internet shocked.

The mishap took place when Ouchi was helping a colleague pour litres of uranium into a big metal vat at the Tokaimura Nuclear Power Plant in 1999.

Uranium was usually poured into the vat by using a hydraulic pump. But to speed up the process and cut costs, Ouchi and his colleagues were instructed to use their bare hands in the room that always records fatal levels of radiation.

Due to some error, the liquid being poured reached 'critical point' and released dangerous neutron radiation and gamma rays into the atmosphere.

None of the men, including 35-year-old Ouchi, had received any training prior to carrying out the delicate task that reportedly had 16 kg of uranium.

Almost immediately after being exposed to the radiation, he suffered burns, became dizzy, vomited and, had trouble breathing.

But this was just the start of his 83-day nightmare.

Ouchi was rushed to the University of Tokyo Hospital after he lost consciousness due to violent vomiting. His doctors were bamboozled by the fact that he had almost no white blood cells left in his body.

The radiation burns had covered his entire body and his eyes were leaking blood.

While effectively experimenting with medical science and technology to keep the 35-year-old alive, doctors found that Ouchi had absorbed 17 Sieverts (sv) of radiation, the highest level for any living human being.

It's basically twice the amount that should kill a person. To give you some perspective, the emergency responders at Chornobyl who died were exposed to only 0.25 Sieverts.

Doctors kept Ouchi alive via blood transfusions and stem cell grafts, but the suffering only become more intense with each passing day.

It is said that he repeatedly shouted during his stay at the hospital: "I can't take it anymore! I am not a guinea pig!"

On the 59th day of his time in the hospital, Ouchi suffered three heart attacks, but each time doctors were able to revive him.

This was done at the request of his family.

The unspeakable ordeal for the 35-year-old finally ended on December 21. After 83 days, his body eventually gave out and he died due to multiple organ failure.

The 1999 accident at Tokaimura occurred approximately four miles away from the PNC facility on 30 September 1999. It was the worst civilian nuclear radiation accident in Japan prior to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011.

The incident exposed the surrounding population to hazardous nuclear radiation after the uranium mixture reached criticality

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