Nuclear Power and the Threat
to Drinking Water

The Fukushima nuclear disaster led to warnings against the consumption of drinking water by vulnerable people as far away as Tokyo, which draws its water from sources 130 miles from the stricken plant.
Frontier Group's report, Too Close to Home, illustrates the dangers posed should a similar accident occur on U.S. soil. Using previously unpublished data, the report finds that 49 million Americans receive their drinking water from systems with intakes within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant - the radius the Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses to assess risk to food and water supplies. The report also highlights the dangers posed by widespread tritium contamination of groundwater around nuclear plants and identifies the U.S. waterways that risk contamination in the event of a massive water discharge of radiation as occurred at Fukushima.
To find out more about nuclear power plants near you, click here for Frontier Group's interactive nuclear power map. (1/24/12)
(Photo: Phillip Holland)

