The use of nuclear energy to generate power has been a major policy debate for decades. While the best decisions may be based on facts, many risk calculations are actually values choices. Here are some of the best sources for both facts and opinion.
"Japanese officials began encouraging people to evacuate a larger swath of territory around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Friday as new signs emerged that parts of the crippled facility are so damaged and contaminated that it will be hard to bring the plant under control soon."
"More than a quarter of U.S. nuclear plant operators have failed to properly tell regulators about equipment defects that could imperil reactor safety, according to a report by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's inspector general."
In 1961, three young nuclear plant operators in Idaho were killed when a small experimental power reactor melted down. They were so radioactive they had to be buried in lead-lined coffins under concrete. And one bereaved family was only allowed a five-minute funeral.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently requires nuclear plants to plan evacuation of a 10-mile circle in case of a radiation threat. But the government urged evacuation of a 50-mile circle after the disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant. Here's some information to help you calculate your own risk.
"A sleepy New Jersey town has popped onto people's radar screens because it has the oldest running nuclear power plant in the United States -- and, some say, the most dangerous."
"Japan’s effort to contain the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant suffered a setback, an official said on Friday, citing evidence that the reactor vessel of the No. 3 unit may have been damaged."
"The Japanese authorities are considering a plan to import bottled water from overseas, a government official said Thursday morning, a day after spreading contamination from a crippled nuclear plant led to a panicked rush to buy water in Tokyo."
"The threat of the release of highly radioactive spent fuel at a Japanese nuclear plant has revived a debate in the United States about how to manage such waste and has led to new recriminations over a derailed plan for a national repository in Nevada."
"The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it would halt imports of dairy products and produce from the area of Japan where a nuclear reactor is leaking radiation."
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