Another level-headed article

[Guest guest]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Video-Fukushima-Nuclear-Fallout-How-\

Bad-Could-It-Get/Article/201103215950994

The current incident is rated a 4 out of 7 on the International Nuclear Event

Scale. A 4 incident indicates an accident with local consequences.

Impact on People and the Environment

Minor release of radioactive material unlikely to result in implementation

of planned countermeasures other than local food controls.

At least one death from radiation.

Impact on Radiological Barriers and Control

Fuel melt or damage to fuel ­resulting in more than 0.1% release of core

inventory.

Release of significant quantities of radioactive material within an

installation with a high ­probability of significant public exposure.

Examples:

* Sellafield (United Kingdom) – 5 incidents 1955 to 1979[4]

* SL-1 Experimental Power Station (United States) – 1961, reactor reached

prompt criticality, killing three operators.

* Saint-t Nuclear Power Plant (France) – 1980, partial core meltdown.

* Buenos Aires (Argentina) – 1983, criticality accident during fuel rod

rearrangement killed one operator and injured 2 others.

* Jaslovské Bohunice (Czechoslovakia) – 1977, contamination of reactor

building.

* Tokaimura nuclear accident (Japan) – 1999, three inexperienced operators

at a reprocessing facility caused a criticality accident; two of them died.

* Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant (Japan) – 2011, reactor shutdown after the

2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami, failure of emergency cooling caused an

explosion. This rating is likely provisional and subject to change.[5]