Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

Holt, Mark ; Campbell, Richard J. ; Nikitin, Mary Beth

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Nuclear energy;    Nuclear reactors;    Energy;    Disasters;   

RP-ID  :  R41694
RP-ID  :  R41694_2012Jan18

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

The huge earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station on March 11, 2011, knocked out backup power systems that were needed to cool the reactors at the plant, causing three of them to undergo fuel melting, hydrogen explosions, and radioactive releases. Radioactive contamination from the Fukushima plant forced the evacuation of communities up to 25 miles away and affected up to 100,000 residents, although it did not cause any immediate deaths. Studies of the Fukushima disaster have identified design changes, response actions, and other safety improvements that could have reduced or eliminated the amount of radioactivity released from the plant. As a result, Fukushima has prompted a reexamination of nuclear plant safety requirements around the world, including in the United States.