Fukushima, risk, and probability: Expect the unexpected

Fukushima, risk, and probability: Expect the unexpected

from It is 6 Minutes to Midnight | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists by Charles Perrow

We continue to populate our planet with technologies that have catastrophic potential. We have vulnerable concentrations of humans, economic power, and hazardous materials. The most fearful concentrations of hazardous materials are in nuclear power plants. A serious accident there could kill hundreds or even thousands of people, and contaminate large areas of land for as long as a century.