Authorities say a worker fell into a reactor pool at the San Onofre nuclear power plant in San Diego County last week but he didn't receive a significant radiation dose.
Southern California Edison spokesman Gil Alexander says the man was leaning over to retrieve a flashlight when he lost his balance and fell into the Unit 2 reactor pool on Jan. 27.
The pool's more than 20 feet deep and holds water that circulates through the reactor core.
Alexander tells the North County Times (http://bit.ly/w9FzZx ) that the worker, who's employed by a private contractor, was wearing a life preserver. He received 5 millirems of radiation.
That's not considered a major dose and he went back to work the same day.
By comparison, a chest X-ray provides about a 4-millirem dose.
