1) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear disaster

In March 2011 an earthquake and tsunami caused damage that led to explosions and partial
meltdowns at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Radiation levels at the stricken
Fukushima I power plant have varied roused up to 1,000 mSv/h (millisievert per hour), which is
a level that can cause radiation sickness to occur at a later time following a one-hour
exposure. Significant release in emissions of radioactive particles took place following hydrogen
explosions at three reactors, as technicians tried to pump in seawater to keep the uranium fuel
rods cool, and bled radioactive gas from the reactors in order to make room for the seawater.

As the concern about the possibility of a large-scale release of radioactivity resulted in 20 km
exclusion zone being set up around the power plant and people within the 20–30 km zone being
advised to stay indoors.

On March 24, 2011, Japanese officials announced that "radioactive iodine-131 exceeding safety
limits for infants had been detected at 18 water-purification plants in Tokyo and five other
prefectures". Officials said also that the fallout from the Dai-ichi plant is "hindering search
efforts for victims from earthquake and tsunami". According to the Federation of Electric Power
Companies of Japan, "by April 27 approximately 55 percent of the fuel in reactor unit 1 had
melted, along with 35 percent of the fuel in unit 2, and 30 percent of the fuel in unit 3; and
overheated spent fuels in the storage pools of units 3 and 4 probably were also damaged1".

Situation there after 5 years, rain, wind and natural dissipation have removed radioactive
contaminants, lowering levels, like at the central district of Okuma town, to 9 mSv/year, one-
fifth the level of five years ago2.

Radiation Effect –

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report that estimates an increase in risk for
specific cancers for certain subsets of the population inside the Fukushima Prefecture. A 2013
WHO report predicts that for populations living in the most affected areas there is a 70% higher
risk of developing thyroid cancer for girls exposed as infants (the risk has risen from a lifetime
risk of 0.75% to 1.25%), a 7% higher risk of leukemia in males exposed as infants, a 6% higher
risk of breast cancer in females exposed as infants and a 4% higher risk, overall, of developing
solid cancers for females3.

1
Jungmin Kang (4 May 2011). "Five steps to prevent another Fukushima". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
2
Ohtsuki Noriyoshi (17 July 2016). "Some restricted zones to be lifted near Fukushima nuclear
plant". www.asahi.com.
3
Nebehay, Stephanie (28 February 2013). "Higher cancer risk after Fukushima nuclear disaster:
WHO". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013.
2) Chernobyl disaster-
The 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine was and remains the world's worst nuclear power
plant disaster. Estimates of its death toll are controversial and range from 62 to 25,000, with the
high projections including deaths that have yet to happen. Peer reviewed publications have
generally supported a projected total figure in the low tens of thousands; for example an estimate
of 16,000 excess cancer deaths are predicted to occur due to the Chernobyl accident out to the
year 2065, whereas, in the same period, several hundred million cancer cases are expected from
other causes (from International Agency for Research on Cancer published in the International
Journal of Cancer in 2006)4
Causes of Disaster -
On that day, due to explosion of reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl plant. A total of about 30
people, including operators and firemen, died as a result of direct exposure to radiation.

1- One of the most crucial causes of the accident is the large positive void coefficient
possessed by the nuclear reactor. This means that an increase in voids or steam bubbles is
associated with a rise in core reactivity.
2- Another cause was a flaw in the design of control rods.  Control rods are meant to control
the multiplication factor k of the reactor. Since control rods absorb neutrons, a
withdrawal of the rods causes an increase in k value, and vice versa. Of the control rods,
are inserted from the top of the reactor and are made of graphite. The rods were found to
be 1.3 m shorter than stipulated, which is unacceptable5. 

3) Three Mile Island Accident—

The Three Mile Island accident occurred on March 28, 1979, in reactor number 2 of Three Mile
Island Nuclear Generating Station(TMI-2) in Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg. It was the most
significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. The incident was rated a
five on the seven-point International Nuclear Event Scale: Accident with wider consequences.

The accident began with failures in the non-nuclear secondary system, followed by a stuck-
open pilot-operated relief valve in the primary system, which allowed large amounts of nuclear
reactor coolant to escape. The mechanical failures were compounded by the initial failure of
plant operators to recognize the situation as a loss-of-coolant accident due to inadequate training
and human factors, such as human-computer interaction design oversights relating to ambiguous
control room indicators in the power plant6.

4
Cardis, Elisabeth, et al., International Journal of Cancer, Vol. 119, Iss. 6, pp. 1224–1235, September 15, 2006.
5
 B. Schimmoller, "Chernobyl's Silver Anniversary," Power Eng. 115, No. 3, 10 (2011).
6
"Minutes to Meltdown: Three miles Island". National Geographic. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011.