economics

Radiation levels normal and falling at Fukushima nuke reactor

NPR, usually the first to panic about evil nuclear energy, is reporting some very undramatic numbers from the Fukushima reactor

Radiation inside the plant is arguably dangerous, but radiation at the plants main gate is 0.647 milliserverts per hour.  By comparison, when you take a flight, you get about 0.04 milliserverts per hour from cosmic rays, so standing at the main gate is fifteen times worse than flying.  So someone who flies to Japan from New York, and then wanders up to the main gate to take a look, and hangs out at the main gate for half an hour or so, is likely to get more radiation from his flight than from the nuclear power plant.

Of course if your house is in front of the main gate, 0.647 milliserverts an hour is still a problem if it remains that high year after year – but if your house was in front of the gate, it is no longer in front of the main gate, because the tsunami washed it away, in which case radiation levels are a long way down on your list of troubles, and in any case, radiation levels will not remain that high for long.

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