Letters: Nuclear Power’s flaws

Nuclear power’s flaws

Editor — There is a reason why California should not adopt the nuclear power option at this time (“Fresno a player in debate over nuclear power,” April 8). In brief, the water that cools each nuclear reactor’s core is at a much higher pressure than its surroundings. Thus, the water is susceptible to leaking, producing a meltdown of the core.

If the core melts, intensely radioactive substances may well be released into the environment, causing deaths and injuries and making large areas of land uninhabitable. Safety inspections are conducted in an attempt at heading off leakage. The designs of the inspection systems are seriously flawed, but the nuclear industry and its federal regulatory agency refuse to correct the flaws.

TERRY OLDBERG