Source: CBS
While the Japanese government has called for its citizens to evacuate the area within twelve miles of the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors, the United States is evacuating U.S. citizens if they are within 50 miles of the plants. Carnegie’s James Acton explained to Erica Hill of CBS’ Early Show that there is a good reason for this discrepancy. Japan has already evacuated more than half a million people. If they were to extend the evacuation, they risk being unable to feed or shelter evacuees, who would then be in graver danger than if they remained at home. Acton added that houses actually provide better radiation protection than would ordinarily be assumed.
Turning to the damaged reactors themselves, Acton said that conflicting perspectives and widespread uncertainty surround the spent fuel pools. A Department of Energy report and a study from the National Academy of the Sciences offer contradictory opinions on whether exposed spent fuel rods could catch fire – a matter of great concern at Fukushima, as water is depleted in multiple spent fuel pools.