It irks me that some people will likely say the nuclear reactor problem as a call for moratorium.
There was far, far, far more death and destruction from Mother Nature herself! ( even if the nuclear thing gets worse)
I don't follow your logic. One is man-made, the other is an act of nature. One we have some control over, the other little if any.
Actually, that IS the point. We all consciously elect to take calculated risks, none foolproof; a ride in the car, a flight on a 747, turning on the gas heat, sitting in the radioactive sunshine, or building a nuclear reactor. Otherwise, we would live in a unheated hut wondering if there will be a next meal.
My point is that no matter how much radiation is released, and no matter how much biological significance it attains, it is unlikely to come anywhere close to the deaths caused by the earthquake/tsunami. So the anti-nuclear sentiment that is already arising is comparing apples and oranges, both in terms of reactor type, and in terms of numbers of unfortunate victims from either natural or man-made cause.
Disclaimer: I am a Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) and Authorized User(AU). We administer medical radioactive iodine obtained as a fission byproduct of a Canadian reactor. I also live about 50 miles downwind of North Anna Nuclear Power Station in Virginia.
