Many government agencies have correctly stated that there now seems to be minimal preventable risk to North Americans from an airborne radioactive iodine release from a Japanese power plant. But of course these advisories do not provide a plan for potential consequences of the next earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, or terrorist attack. These maps showing the location of nuclear power reactors give us an idea of which areas are at higher risk in the U.S., Canada, and Japan:
Source of maps: International Nuclear Safety Center at Argonne National Laboratory
A week ago, Switzerland suspended plans to build or replace nuclear power plants, and Asia and the EU are pausing for reflection on their preparedness.
What are the United States and Canada waiting for? Why are we even considering building or replacing terrorism targets and earthquake-susceptible nuclear reactors? Why are we not investing more heavily in less toxic energy, and doing more to conserve energy? For those of us living in the Pacific Northwest, the reactor perched on the Columbia River is a particularly looming threat.
So it looks now that we're not likely right now in the Americas to need Potassium Iodide so that our children don't get thyroid cancer next year.
But what are we doing everywhere to make sure that they don't get it the following year?
Now is the time for action: no more nuclear power.