Comparing working conditions for "bio-robots" (that is, workers) at Fukushima Daiichi with Chernobyl

A blog post at Lucas Whitefield Hixson compares the humidity, heat, and high radiation at Chernobyl in 1986 to Fukushima Daiichi today, as Japanese workers are now suffering heat stroke and dehydration as summer temperatures making already difficult working conditions even more unbearable. Workers wear 20 pounds of protective gear and respirators, to fend off radioactive particles and gases, although such suits do not protect against X-ray like gamma radiation -- thick lead would be required to block that. Included is a documentary with footage and commentary regarding the hazards faced by Chernobyl "liquidators" in the first days and weeks after the Chernobyl catastrophe began, including shoveling by hand chunks of highly radioactive debris back into the gaping maw of the exploded reactor. Dose rates of 7,000 Roentgen per hour led to 45 second shifts for "liquidators". Even that short a shift would deliver close to a 10 Roentgen dose. It is not clear from the documentary, however, how many such shifts individual "liquidators" were forced to undertake.