Japan is racing to head off a nuclear catastrophe in the wake of Friday's devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami. At least two reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station are at risk of full meltdown after being slammed by the tsunami. More than 200,000 residents within a 12-mile radius have been evacuated, and will have to stay away for the foreseeable future. The plant will have to vent radioactive steam for months, or even years. If even nuclear-sensitive, disaster-ready Japan is vulnerable to such a catastrophe, is anywhere safe for nuclear power? (See an explosion at Fukushima)
Only "fools" think we're safe from meltdowns: As Japan deals with its radioactive "human tragedy," the rest of us should worry about the "future meltdowns at nuclear ticking time bombs" around the world, says Michael Collins at The Agonist. Energy companies and nuclear-friendly governments, including the Obama administration, say nuclear plants are necessary and safe, but as Japan shows, we're all "sitting ducks."
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