In case you didn't notice, we've had warning signs for a long time now - everything from industrial waste to radiation. Even in 1969 there were signs of concern regarding Nuclear Power Plants and their reliability. Pesticides were a big problem. Dumping toxic waste in our water supply. Smog. Everything that is tossing us into crisis mode has been discussed, discovered and warned about for years.
And 42 years ago, on March 9, 1969 NBC Radio, as part of their monthly series Second Sunday ran a documentary on the problem. What's interesting about this documentary, and somewhat ironic, is the cautious relief that we had an Environmental Protection Agency. The operative word here is "had" because, as we all know, when the wave of deregulation swept over the country, compliments of the Reagan Years, the EPA was one of the casualties, left spineless and gutted. And now with the ongoing story in Fukushima, concern over our own Nuclear Power Plant system is growing - and with the historic review of near disasters (aside from Three Mile Island which was the most publicized) in the 42 years since this documentary first aired, it gives rise to the question not "can this happen to us?" but "when is it our turn?".
My suspicion is sooner than we think.
