Reliable scientists tell us that the small amount of radiation that has reached us from the disaster in Japan is not significant. That is probably true. But what about the large amounts that will reach us when our own nuclear plants are damaged? Does anybody know how to create nuclear power systems that are safe? Can existing plants be retrofitted with improved safety systems that will protect us? If we imagine that the experts are working on these problems, we are probably wrong.
Until I saw Boyd Norton's blog post, I did not realize that there are no programs anywhere in the world to study the safety of nuclear power plants. Norton is a former nuclear physicist who participated in safety studies in the 1960's.
