A catastrophic meltdown of a nuclear power plant core in Japan probably would not threaten the health of Americans living in Hawaii or on the West Coast, nuclear experts say.
Most experts believe the chances of such a disaster are still remote. But if it occurred, it would be the Japanese people who would be in significant danger, said Ken Bergeron, a physicist and former scientist with the Sandia National Laboratories, where he worked on nuclear reactor accident simulation. Bergeron spoke at a news conference Saturday arranged by the environmental group Friends of the Earth.
“This is a Japanese health issue of great significance and we shouldn’t confuse it with health concerns in the United States,” Bergeron said.
For U.S. residents “there would be no cause for any concern,” said Jerrold Bushberg, a medical physicist at UC Davis and a clinical professor of radiology and radiation oncology.