When most people think of corporate pollution they picture an evil CEO with Hollywood mustache who has no heart and does not care about the little guy. While this stereo type does exist, it is rarer than people might imagine. Much of the corporate pollution occurs when a natural disaster or other rare accident occur and have adverse effects on containment equipment that was not designed to withstand the shock of the accident or disaster. A global example of just this type of corporate pollution occurred when an earthquake and tsunami rocked the small country of Japan. The natural disaster damaged two of their nuclear power facilities and the damage allowed dangerous radiation to leak into the air. The Fukushima and Daiichi nuclear power plant accidents were not the fault of any one evil doer, the accidents were caused by an act of nature.

While we have not experienced anything like those disasters in the United States yet, similar concerns have been raised by many people about the readiness of America’s nuclear power plants and their ability to withstand similar conditions. Inspections and research has begun across the United States and a recent East Coast earthquake brought the discussion to the top of the news headlines once again.

An earthquake that’s epicenter was located just eleven miles away from the North Anna Nuclear Power Station, renewed scientists’ concerns that a strong earthquake could have a devastating impact on cities located near United States nuclear power plants. After a thorough check of the North Anna facility no damage was reported from the earthquake that measured a 5.8 on the Richter scale. The initial concerns after the quake had to do with the ability of the plants containment facility to withstand the forces they were subjected to during the quake and also the possibility that the fuel cells inside the containment area could have been damaged. The forces the plants containment areas withstood during the quake were more than twice as strong as the buildings were designed to withstand. Despite the doubled figure the plant made it through without any major damage. Officials sited a large margin of error as the reason for this seemingly impossible result. Luckily when it comes to nuclear power scientists and regulators in the United States err on the side of caution. Minor damages to the plant were reported but none of them caused dangerous levels of radiation to be released. The quake did serve as a wake up call to the staff that performed a series of inspections.

The plant has been operating since June of 1978. When the plant was built a nine thousand six hundred acre reservoir was created by damming the North Anna River. Lake Anna has become a family destination. Camps, cabins, and vacation homes draw people to the lake to enjoy a variety of water sports and recreation. The plant provides enough power to run almost half a million homes and is vital to the local economy. It is easy to see why residents and plant officials would be taking extra precautions to prevent an accident in the future.

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Author Bio: Environmental insurance for tornado damage and other natural disasters is available through www.B-H-A.com – America\’s environmental insurance provider.

Category: Society
Keywords: Environment, Business, Industry, Insurance