Nuclear Reactors- what can we learn

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred in 1986 at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, par of the then Soviet Union. A test of the reactor's system went out of control, resulting in a series of explosions which released a large plume of radioactive smoke into the atmosphere. The radioactive particles drifted over large parts of Eastern Europe, necessitating the permanent relocation of over 350,000 people from the most severely contaminated areas in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. A 30km exclusion zone has been maintained around the power plan to this date because radioactive substances can remain in the environment for a long time, up to 200 million years. It is difficult to determine the exact human cost of the disaster but it is believed to have contributed to thousands of cancer cases throughout Eastern Europe. Many children that were born from people with the radiation were born with deformities. Japan's nuclear reactor problem is not the first time they have felt the deadly effects of radiation. Atomic bombs were detonated over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of WW 2 to force the Japanese to surrender. 200,000 Japanese died within months of the attack from the lethal effects of radiation, leaving deep psychological scars on the nation. The ongoing nuclear crisis has raised many concerns about the safety of nuclear power generation around the world. Government leaders in the US, Germany and China are facing public pressure to shut down existing power plants and stop the construction of new ones. The Singapore has not ruled out the use of nuclear power in the near future. Considering the lack of space and the new risks shown by the Japan disaster, the decision will definitely require careful thinking and much discussion.