In the immediate aftermath of last year's Fukushima triple meltdown, Japan's government and pronuclear experts scrambled to dampen public concern. Experts waved away fears about radiation, cabinet ministers scoffed at comparisons to Chernobyl, and the word "meltdown" itself was effectively scoured from the media.
Some observers, however, were quick to hit the panic button. One of the best known was nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen, who predicted that the disaster would lead to 1 million extra deaths from cancer.
Eighteen months later, there is still no consensus on the eventual impact of the No. 1 plant's payload, or even on the amount of radiation released, although the most bloodcurdling initial assessments seem to have largely evaporated. The final official tally for escaped radiation is 900,000 terabecquerels, about one-fifth the amount released by Chernobyl.