Nuclear accidents often aren’t surprises. Whistleblowers had warned of the dangers before such d i s a s t e r s o c c u r r e d i n 1 9 8 6 i n C h e r n o by l , U k r a i ne , a nd 2 5 y e a r s l a t e r i n F u k u s h i ma , J a p a n . As o ne o f t h e w o r l d ’ s w e a l t h i e s t a nd mo s t t e c h n o l o g i c a l l y a d v a nc e d na t i o ns , t h e U . S . ma y be n o b e t t e r p r e p a r e d .

M a n y U . S . s t a t e s h a v e a g i n g n u c l e a r p o w e r p l a nt s br i mm i n g w i t h f o u r d e c a d e s o f s e l f - h e a t i ng , h i g h l y c o r r o s i v e a n d t o x i c r a d i o a c t i v e w a s t e . L a s t mo n t h , t h e C a l i f o r ni a C o a s t a l C o m mi s s i o n

gave Southern California Edison permission to dismantle the San Onofre Nuclear Generating S t a t i o n a n d mo v e i t s 3 . 5 5 m i l l i o n p o u nd s o f nu c l e a r w a s t e f r o m w e t t o d r y s t o r a g e .

Local activists cheered after the troubled San Onofre plant was permanently shut down in 2013 after a 75-gallon-a-day radioactive leak was discovered in a new steam generator. Closing it d i d n’ t s t o p t h e t h r e a t . N o w a c t i v i s t s m u s t w a i t u nt i l t h e p l a n t ’ s nu c l e a r w a s t e i s r e mo v e d t o a y e t - t o - be - b u i l t na t i o na l n u c l e a r w a s t e r e p o s i t o r y o r u nt i l t h e w a s t e d e c a y s i n s e v e r a l t h o u s a nd y e a r s , whichever comes first.

Last year, as a crane operator maneuvered to place a 50-ton cask of spent nuclear fuel into a s t o r a g e v a u l t , t h e m a s s i v e c a s k g o t c a u g h t o n a n i nc h - t h i c k s t e e l g u i d e r i n g a nd h u n g t h e r e f o r a b o u t a n h o u r . W o r k e r s a t t h e s i t e w e r e n o t p r e p a r e d f o r s u c h a d a ng e r o u s c o mp l i c a t i o n .

I f t h e c a ni s t e r h a d f a l l e n a nd l e a k e d r a d i o a c t i v e g a s o r l i q u i d s , t h e 1 8 - f o o t p l u n g e c o u l d h a v e l e d t o a p a nic k e d e v a c u a t i o n a l o ng t h e c o a s t o f C a l i f o r n i a . E v e n w i t h t h o u g h t f u l p l a n ni ng , safeguarding people and the environment from a nuclear accident is a complex problem, affirmed a recent re port by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

A f t e r C h e r no b y l , s c i e n t i s t s e m p l o y e d by t h e nu c l e a r i n d u s t r y a s s e r t e d t h a t t h e w o r l d ’ s w o r s t n u c l e a r a c c i d e n t k i l l e d o nl y a c o u p l e d o z e n p e o p l e .

I n a n e x a m i n a t i o n o f m o r e t h a n 2 5 a r c h i v e s i n Ru s s i a , U k r a i ne a nd B e l a r u s , I f o u nd t h a t mo s t o f t h e o f f i c i a l C h e r n o b y l a c c o u n t s a r e i nc o m p l e t e o r m i s l e a d i ng . F o r t y t h o u s a n d p e o p l e w e r e h o s p i t a l i z e d t h e s u m me r a f t e r t h e a c c i d e n t f r o m C h e r no by l e x p o s u r e s , n o t t h e 30 0 S o v i e t o f f i c i a l s c l a i m e d .

T h e e f f e c t o f t h e C h e r no by l d i s a s t e r o n t h e r e g i o n ’ s p o p u l a t i o n i s s t a g g e r i ng . R a d i o a c t i v e c o n t a m i na nt s m i g r a t e d t o w a r d p o p u l a t i o n c e n t e r s i n d u s t , w a t e r , a i r w a y s a n d f o o d . T h y r o i d d i s e a s e , a u t o i m m u n e d i s o r d e r s , a n e m i a , a nd d i s e a s e s o f t h e c i r c u l a t i o n s y s t e m , d i g e s t i v e t r a c t a n d l u ng s i nc r e a s e d y e a r b y y e a r . L e u k e m i a , p e d i a t r i c t h y r o i d c a n c e r , a n d c a nc e r s o f t h e mo u t h , t h r o a t a n d s t o ma c h f o l l o w e d .

B e l a r u s i a n a nd U k r a i n i a n l e a d e r s be g g e d t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s G e ne r a l A s s e m b l y f o r a i d t o m o v e

2 0 0 , 0 0 0 m o r e p e o p l e f r o m c o nt a m ina t e d l a nd , a nd f o r a l o n g - t e r m s t u d y o n l o w d o s e s o f r a d i a t io n o n h e a l t h . T h e a i d ne v e r c a me . I t d i d n ’ t h e l p t h a t o t h e r U . N . a g e n c i e s , e s p e c ia l l y t h e I n t e r n a t io na l At o m i c E n e r g y Ag e nc y , a s s e r t e d t h a t i nc r e a s e d h e a l t h p r o bl e m s i n C h e r no b y l - c o n t a m i na t e d t e r r it o r ie s h a d n o t h in g t o d o w it h n u c l e a r f a l l o u t .

T o t h i s d a y , t h e s c ie nt if i c c o m mu ni t y w i l l s a y t h a t l i t t l e i s k no w n a b o u t t h e e f f e c t s o f c h r o n ic e x p o s u r e s t o l o w d o s e s o f r a d io a c t iv it y o n h u m a n h e a l t h . B e l a r u s ia n a n d U k r a ini a n f a r m e r s h a v e b e e n l e f t t o d e a l w it h t h e c o s t s o f t h e a c c id e n t , no t a n o w - d e f u n c t p o w e r c o m p a n y o f a l o n g - g o n e S o v ie t g o v e r nm e n t .

S o u t h e r n C a l if o r n i a E d i s o n s h u t t e r e d t h e S a n O n o f r e pl a n t , bu t t h e d a n g e r l iv e s o n. T h e n u c l e a r w a s t e s t o r a g e f a c il i t y s it s o n a n e r o s i o n- p r o n e bl u f f 2 f e e t a b o v e t h e me a n h i g h t i d e . Se i s mic a c t i v it y o f t e n o c c u r s , a n d f o u r t s u na m i s h i t t h e r e g i o n be t w e e n 1 8 1 2 a nd 1 9 3 0 . G e o l o g i s t s s a y t h e p o t e n t ia l f o r a n o t h e r t s u na m i i s e l e v a t e d i n t h e a r e a , w h ic h h a s 8 . 4 mil l io n p e o p l e l iv i ng w it h i n a 5 0 - mi l e r a d i u s .

T h e l a c k o f p r e v e nt i v e m e a s u r e s a t S a n O no f r e i s d i s t u r b in g . T h e r e i s no p r o c e d u r e i n p l a c e t o r e m o v e t h e 5 0 - t o n c a s k s o f h ig h l y r a d io a c t iv e w a s t e f r o m t h e i r v a u l t s i n r e s po n s e t o c h a ng in g e n v ir o nm e nt a l c o nd it io ns s u c h a s e r o s io n o r r i s i ng s e a l e v e l s . T h e r e i s no bu d g e t t o in s p e c t t h e s p e nt f u e l , no r f u nd s t o t r a ns f e r r a d i o a c t iv e w a s t e f r o m t h in- w a l l e d t o s t u r d i e r t h ic k - w a l l e d c a s k s . I n t h e e v e nt o f c o r r o s i o n a n d l o s s o f c o nt a i nme n t , t h e r e a r e n o pr o c e d u r e s i n p l a c e t o r e p a i r o r s l o w t h e l e a k o f r a d io a c t iv e c o n t a m in a n t s .

H u ma ns w il l n e e d t o m a na g e S a n O no f r e ’ s n u c l e a r w a s t e f o r t h o u s a nd s o f y e a r s . Sc ie nt is t s m a y be dubious about evidence of health problems from previous nuclear disasters, but the history of cigarette smoking and climate change illustrates how easy it is for industry advocates to generate doubt as a way to sidestep costs associated with controversial issues.

Greg Jaczko, a former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, recently changed his mind about the safety and feasibility of nuclear power after witnessing how lobbyists campaigned to undercut recommended safety regulation changes following the Fukushima accident, which is expected to cost more than $500 billion to clean up over the next four decades . Sadly, the International Commission for Radiological Protection no longer says, “it couldn’t happen here.” Instead, the group schools the public on how to deal with radioactive

contaminants in their environment “ as a ke y factor to control radiation ex posure.”

I n s t e a d o f r e s po n d i ng r e t r o a c t i v e l y t o m o r e r ad io ac t iv e l e a k s a t S an O n o f r e — o r w o r s e , a f u l l - s c al e d i s as t e r — i nd u s t r y a nd g o v e r nm e nt o f f i c ia l s s h o u l d pr o c e e d w i t h w h a t r e g u l a t o r s c a l l “t h e p r e c au t i o na r y p r i nc ip l e . ” I t p l a c e s t h e bu r d e n o f pr o o f o f h ar m o n i nd u s t r y a nd g o v e r nme nt a g e nc ies , n o t o n t h o s e w h o w il l b e i nj u r e d . S inc e no in s u r a nc e c o v e r s t h e f u l l c o s t o f a nu c l e a r a c c i d e nt , t ax pa y e r s w i l l be r e s p o nsi b l e f o r s h o u l d e r in g pa r t o r al l o f t h e c l e an u p a n d h e a l t h - r e l a t e d c o s t s .

S t o r in g s pe n t nu c l e a r f u e l o n t h e s i t e s o f s h u t t e r e d nu c l e ar po w e r p l an t s is f o o l h a r d y . R ad io ac t iv e w a s t e s h o u l d b e r e m o v e d s o o n e r t h a n l at e r f r o m o u r e v e r - mo r e v u l n e r ab l e c o a s t l ine s — an d t o pr e v e n t a n o t h e r n u c l e ar a c c id e nt a t S a n O n o f r e .

K at e B ro w n i s a p r o f e ss o r o f s c i e n c e, t e c h n o l o gy a n d so c i et y a t t he M a ss ac hu se t t s I n st i t u t e o f Technology. Her latest book is“Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future.”

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