Before March last year, if you'd asked a child in Japan about nuclear radiation you would probably have been told about Godzilla, the monster powered by mutations caused by radiation, or Tetsuwan Atomu, aka the nuclear-powered robot Astro Boy. Not any more.
As Japan goes nuclear-free (probably temporarily, though many outside the infamous "nuclear village" would prefer if it were forever) with the last of its 54 reactors shut down last week at Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s No. 3 unit, at its Tomari plant, the population — children included — has become only too well aware of the pros and cons of nuclear power. In fact you could say people in Japan are hyper-aware of the risks.
It's understandable. Yet many radiation experts have suggested that the threat posed by fallout from the triple meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is actually quite low, and indeed the psychological fear is causing greater harm. Moreover, the intense focus on the perceived dangers of nuclear power may actually prevent us from seeing much more clear and present dangers.