U.S. Nuclear Reactor Safety: Earthquakes, Floods, and Climate Change

Is the United States vulnerable to the same kind of nuclear calamity that Japan is still facing? Though reactors in the United States are built to strict safety standards, they are nevertheless vulnerable to any number of natural and manmade disasters, from earthquakes and tsunamis to flash floods, droughts, and hurricanes. Roughly a quarter of 104 operating nuclear reactors in the United States use the same “Mark 1” containment vessel design used in the failing Japanese reactors.

See Science Progress coverage of how the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster should inform future risk assessment in the United States:

Climate Change Could Create New Risks to U.S. Nuclear Reactor Safety

Seismic Activity and U.S. Nuclear Facilities

Comments on this article

By clicking and submitting a comment I acknowledge the Science Progress Privacy Policy and agree to the Science Progress Terms of Use. I understand that my comments are also being governed by Facebook's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.