An excellent article with some good hard numbers and deviod of emotion. Society needs to come to realise that radiation is a natural part of life, and that nuclear energy, even with 3 reactors melting down simultaneously contributes a very small increase. And the sooner we can make rational decisions based on numbers and probabilities the better.

Our fear of radiation is akin to the fear of witchcraft iin medieval times.

Very good article, thanks.

Atman,
You are aware of Barry Brook, yes? You know he is an environmentalist, yes? You know he's all for nuclear power, yes?

You misrepresent those that care for the environment as fear mongerers. People with a political agenda do it all the time, confusing environmentalism with a political ideology - it's not.

Environmentalists can come from both sides of the political spectrum - you know that, right?

eyejaw

no you're not you are simply one of a growing number of people who are analysising the media and the merchants of fear messages and who are seeing their absurdity.

The greens anti nuclear power messages linked to the nuclear fear are suffering greatly because of this stupidity.

Apparently figures are showing safe power producing wind farms kill more people and certainly more wildlife than damaged nuclear reactors.

Yep we live in an interesting age where blind faith seems to override science and fact. The more well educated we've become the stupidier and gullible some have become.

It sounds just a bit pre-mature to draw pro-N conclusions from the Fukushima disaster while events are still unfolding ... as in the the NYT article of 5 April

"U.S. Sees Array of New Threats at Japan’s Nuclear Plant"
By JAMES GLANZ and WILLIAM J. BROAD

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/world/asia/06nuclear.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig)

Before any more people expose their ignorance on theis topic and embarrass themselves,see http://www.fairewinds.com/ Arnie Gunderson is a Nuclear Engineer with 25 yrs experience in decomissioning nuclear reactors.

andy1 was that meant to be "Arjay sees New Threats at Japan’s Nuclear Plan"

perhaps it was a typo