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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Nuclear Power's "Myth Of Safety"

According to the Japanese Prime Minister.

I tend to agree that because nuclear power is so safe, so often, it can lull people into a sense of long-term safety.  We should expect a significant nuclear mishap every decade or two depending on the number of operating plants at any given time. 

Though Fukushima will end up being very expensive, it still shows just how safe nuclear power really is.  I call this the Fukushima paradox.  Those pro-nukes who tried to sell the concept that a nuclear meltdown wouldn't happen in our lifetimes have been proven wrong.  But the anti-nukes who tried to sell the concept that a nuclear meltdown would be horrific have also been proven wrong.  Fukushima involved 3 meltdowns and no one died from acute radiation exposure.  There will be some cancer increase in decades to come, but many Japanese cancers have already been avoided by not using fossil fuels over the past 4 decades.

Nuclear power is very safe from a health perspective, it's just very expensive and life altering when the low probability mishap occurs in your locale.

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