Michigan nuclear industry defends record

Nuclear energy officials from Michigan's Fermi 2 plant were defending the safety of nuclear energy at a news conference at DTE Energy on Wednesday, saying that a disaster like that unfolding in Fukushima, Japan wasn't likely to happen near the Great Lakes.

Fermi 2 CEO Gerry Anderson expressed his empathy for Michigan families with ties to Japan, and took the opportunity to tout the safety record of the Monroe, Mich., facility. Fermi 2 is in the process of applying for a licence for an additional reactor at the plant, which sits across the border from Amherstburg, Ont., on the shores of Lake Erie.

Anderson said that even though its General Electric nuclear reactor is the same design as that of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, it was built 17 years later and significant modifications have been made to the design that would prevent a similar event happening in the Great Lakes region.

Referring to the horrific radiation leaks taking place in Japan, Jack Davis, Nuclear Operations Vice President assured the media that the industry uses "every serious incident" to advance safety practices at nuclear facilities around the world.

"I think there is an intense emotional response at a time like this," said Davis. "I would encourage the public to step back and take stock of our actual record here in the United States — 40 years we've never had an event that had any public health impact or any significant environmental impact."

Davis acknowledged that the disaster may create a setback to the recent push to build more nuclear plants in the U.S., but maintained "it's been an important source of electricity with no impact to public safety."

Davis said 100 nuclear units have been operating in the U.S over the last 30 to 40 years.

Great Lakes area tornado-prone

The CEO identified tornadoes as the biggest threat to the region and said last June's F-1 tornado that devastated parts of Leamington, Ont., also delivered a direct hit to the plant.

The plant's safety systems are designed to deal with both earthquakes and tornadoes at a level 10 times greater than anything seen since the 1800's, and those safety and back-up systems functioned "as designed" during the storm, according to Anderson.

"That experience confirmed the ability of the plant to deal with those events in a safe manner," he said.

Backup systems 'more advanced'

Anderson said the Fermi 2 plant is also designed to deal with waves and lake surges. Safety systems are built above anticipated flood levels, and sea walls are in place to prevent backup generators from failing.  Much of the crisis in Japan occurred when backup generators were washed away by the tsunami, preventing the reactor cores from being cooled.

The Fermi 2 plant also has venting in place to prevent hydrogen explosions like those seen at the Japanese plant, officials said.

Emergency Preparedness

Radiation Fears

As fear of radiation spreads, so does the demand for iodine tablets — which reduce absorption radiation through the thyroid.

Even in Windsor, Ont., pharmacists have been fielding calls over the last three days about how to get iodine tablets.

Health Canada has a stockpile, but says the radiation spreading from Japan is not expected to pose a health risk to Canada.

Phil Berthiaume, the emergency management coordinator for Windsor, Ont., and Essex County, said officials are required by the province to prepare for worst case scenarios including events occurring in the U.S.

"Plans are in place, plans have been in place for well over 15 and 20 years," Berthiaume said.

The worst-case scenario would require prevailing winds to be blowing in the "wrong" direction, for radiation from a leak in Monroe to drift over Canada, he said.

Berthiaume assures people that local agencies network with their U.S. counterparts, and do training exercises on a regular basis to keep up the level of cooperation and preparedness.