Don't Pull Your Head Out of the Sand Yet

If spent fuel at one of the dozens of US nuclear sites sets alight, it “could dwarf the horrific consequences of the Fukushima accident [in Japan],” researchers from Princeton University and the Union of Concerned Scientists warned in their study published in the May 26 issue of Science magazine.

[...]

[T]he hypothetical fire would result in contamination of an area larger than New Jersey and force mass relocations.

[...]

The researchers say that this frightening scenario can be avoided if spent fuel is not housed in the pools which are used at almost all US nuclear plants to store and cool used radioactive material. Instead, it would be safer to transfer it to dry storage casks after it is cooled in pools for around five years, they say. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) previously considered such measures, but decided they would be too costly.

  RT

It might be a tad more costly if one caught fire.

The NRC previously said the transfer of spent fuel, which could reduce the threat of radioactive releases by 99 percent, would require additional spending of $50 million per pool. An accident would result in $125 billion in damages and radioactive contamination would not go beyond 50 miles of the site, according to the NRC, in sharp contrast to the researchers' estimates. The NRC also said that the consequences would be dealt with within a year, while the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents have shown much worse effects, with the areas still deserted.

[...]

The study blames the NRC for downplaying the potential consequences and risking millions of Americans’ lives to favor nuclear industries.

[...]

"Unfortunately, if there is no public outcry about this dangerous situation, the NRC will continue to bend to the industry's wishes.”

The researches also stressed that a nuclear disaster could be brought about by a large earthquake or terrorist attack, the possibility of which was excluded by the NRC.

They have called on the agency to take action to reduce the potential danger by enhancing the monitoring of the pools and increasing water levels in case of a breakdown. If the NRC does not act, the researchers say Congress should step up.

Seriously? You don't think Congress is beholden to nuclear industry money?

If you haven't and you can, watch "Command and Control" now streaming on Netflix and see how safe you feel. It's not about nuclear power plants, but it is about the cavalier attitude and incompetence of government agencies in charge of dangerous materials.

 ...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.