Germany has shut down seven of its nuclear reactors that are the same design as the Japanese reactors that have failed. It has ordered a safety review at all 17 reactors in the country. And last month congress voted to provide a $4 billion loan guarantee for two new nuclear reactors to be built and operated on the Gulf Coast of Texas by TEPCO, the Japanese company that built the reactors that have experienced meltdown.
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Are we in danger from radiation blowing our way from melted power plants in Japan? The reality is that the Japanese are the ones who have to worry. It turns out that even a major multiple meltdown in Japan is unlikely to have much of an effect here. Regarding iodine pills, they are only needed in the case of very significant doses of Iodine-131. In order to need them, you’d probably need to be downwind of a nuclear blast, and people over 40 shouldn’t take them at all, radiation exposure or not, because the chances of having an allergic reaction to the pills exceed the chances of getting cancer from radiation poisoning.
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As US policy makers renew emphasis on the use of nuclear energy in their efforts to reduce the country’s oil dependence, other factors come into play. One concern of paramount importance is the seismic hazard at the site where nuclear reactors are located.
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