A public high school senior in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, suffered serious finger burns during an experiment involving X-rays in a physics class in November, it was learned Thursday.
The burns of the Kurosawajiri-kita High School student were as serious as being exposed to 20 medical X-rays, according to officials of the Iwate prefectural board of education, who said his injury required a month of treatment but has been cured.
During the class, a 37-year-old male teacher gave an X-ray demonstration in which he placed a metal key in an envelope and projected an X-ray over it. He went on to explain that human skeletal bones can also be seen through X-rays, and asked interested students to have their fingers X-rayed, according to the board officials.
The third-year student had his finger X-rayed for 30 seconds. About 20 days later, he complained it was hurting. He was diagnosed as suffering from acute dermatitis caused by radiation.
A total of 26 students took part in the experiment.
Aside from him, 26 students, including those in another class, took part in the experiment, and 15 were found to have suffered symptoms similar to sunburn. The high school has apologized to the parents, the board officials said, adding that the school lacked consideration for the safety of the students.