By: Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Eight U.S. sailors who served on a humanitarian mission to Japan in the wake of the tsunami-triggered Fukushima nuclear reactor crisis are suing the utility that operates the power plant. They say they were exposed to harmful levels of radiation that could result in cancer and a shorter life.            

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego in December against Tokyo Electric Power Co., which is owned by the Japanese government. Plaintiffs include the infant daughters of two of the sailors.            

The lawsuit charges that the utility lied about the level of radiation in the atmosphere following the March 2011 disaster. The sailors served on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.            

An email seeking response from the utility’s corporate office was not immediately returned.