In 2011, the Fukushima dai-ichi prefecture in Japan was impacted by a tsunami that severely damaged the nuclear power plant that was situated near the coast. Almost immediately there were fears of a potential nuclear explosion, with many residents fearing for their lives (Schwantes et al., 2012). While it may be true that there was a release of radioactive energy, in what is now known as the greatest industrial accident since Chernobyl, the fact remains that the rate of energy release and the means by which it affected the surrounding region is drastically different as compared to what normally occurs during the detonation of a nuclear bomb (Schwantes et al., 2012). The fact is that a nuclear reactor is not designed in the same way as an atomic bomb, as such, despite the abundance of material that could cause a nuclear explosion, the means by which this possible is simply not present.

In 2011, the Fukushima dai-ichi prefecture in Japan was impacted by a tsunami that severely damaged the nuclear power plant that was situated near the coast. Almost immediately there were fears of a potential nuclear explosion, with many residents fearing for their lives (Schwantes et al., 2012). While it may be true that there was a release of radioactive energy, in what is now known as the greatest industrial accident since Chernobyl, the fact remains that the rate of energy release and the means by which it affected the surrounding region is drastically different as compared to what normally occurs during the detonation of a nuclear bomb (Schwantes et al., 2012). The fact is that a nuclear reactor is not designed in the same way as an atomic bomb, as such, despite the abundance of material that could cause a nuclear explosion, the means by which this possible is simply not present.