I actually work at a nuclear power plant. It's rare that I get to go inside the reactor or anything but I've been there and seen the goings on. I will admit that if something were to go wrong (there's tons and tons of fail safes and contingencies to prevent that--it's top secret, though), the results could be disastrous. But from what I've seen, the environment is sterile. Outside agencies police us all of the time (the Nuclear Regulatory Committee and others). The slightest amount of radiation is checked. We even have these necklaces that we wear all the time that measures our radiation exposure over an amount of time and we have our bodies scanned annually.
I walked in the front door skeptical of what that job would do as far as my long term health was concerned. I figured that being a mutant would be offset by the amount of money they would pay and I was willing to make that sacrifice to provide a better life for my family (it didn't help that the woman giving our orientation had two thumbs on the same hand!! I'm not joking!!). Now, I'm 100% behind the nuclear industry. At least, at our facility, the severity of an environmental disaster is taken seriously (and I'm sure its industry wide). It's a great form of energy and will only become more so in the future.
--I heard that, following Japan's nuclear crisis, some countries are planning to decommission their nuclear power programs. I think its a mistake on their parts. But then again, my place of work (Plant Vogtle, if you're concerned: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Plant is actually building the first new nuclear reactors in the United States in 30 years. I may be a little biased.
