Fukushima+evacuees+can+return+home

After the 2011 tsunami that caused the nuclear power plant in Fukushima to melt down, tens of thousands of residents in the area had to evacuate to avoid the high levels of radiation. 300 of the residents in Miyakoji district of Tamura were evacuated and are now being told they can return to their homes because radiation is at safe levels outside of 12 miles of the destroyed plant. The government is paying the victims about $1000/month while they are displaced, and $9000 once they return to their home.

While some residents are returning home today, some families with small children are reluctant. One resident even claims he believes the government is using these 300 residents in the small district as guinea pigs, testing the effects before allowing larger districts to return home.

Pros: Nuclear power is carbon-free and produces more efficient than solar or wind Space efficient--requires .1% of the space of a wind farm and .3% of the space of a photovoltaic farm to produce the same amount of energy, resulting in preservation of wildlife, or more space to build cities.

Cons: Requires uranium mining (requires import into US), uranium is a limited resource Significant radioactive waste, not biodegradable, dangerous, radioactive for thousands of years Requires a lot of water to process heating/cooling for the plant; microscopic plankton can get sucked in and turtles and seals can get stuck to the filter and drown. Heated water is cooled before returning to the ocean but that doesn't eliminate all thermal pollution. Health risks are debatable, but some studies suggest that breast cancer and child leukemia risk is increased near plants.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-pros-cons-nuclear-power.htm