Unfortunately we are discussing the inevatable. Sooner or later the nuclear genie was going to escape and contaminate a wide area. This is the way of all things. The best we can hope for is to minimize the effects as much as possible and learn from the event to prevent a similar event from occuring in the future. This accident will cause many operators and governments to retink nuclear power, but in the end nuke powwer is the cheapest and most readily available alternative to hydrocarbon based power generation. New or current plants are much better constructed and one can reasonably assume that some of the possible scenarios have been explored and contingencies adopted to prevent run away reactions as well as overheating and contaiment damage. So unfortunately this is a live and learn lesson, hopefully everybody gets the learn part of the lesson...
Bob

 

Down the bottom of this page is how many nuclear power stations each country has.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_by_country

 

In norway we still have problems with Cesium (Cs-137) after Chernobyl 1986. Free-ranging animals (mostly sheep and deer) have elevated levels levels of Cs-137 in the meat. It is particularly mushrooms in the diet that produce the high values ​​of Cs-137. Before the animals can be slaughtered. They must have a special diet that bind up the Cs-137. And take it out of the body with the excrements. This is only valid for some parts of Norway. But still it cost a lot of mony