Some quick math: How does Fukushima compare to Chernobyl?

• 1Mlast night's peak of the radiation at the Fukushima plant per hour, in micro-sievert
• 300M the peak of Chernobyl's radiation output per hour – at its damaged core – in micro-sievert source

» To explain: This number comparison is to emphasize the difference between an actual going-to-kill-us-all meltdown and what's happening in Fukushima. While things could get worse from here, right now, the worst of what's happening in Fukushima is 0.3 percent as bad as the worst of the Chernobyl disaster. 400 rontgen is enough radiation to kill you . 10,000 micro-sievert equals 1 rontgen. Chernobyl was pushing out 30,000 rontgen per hour at its core – enough to kill someone in 48 seconds. This is an important point to make – while levels are higher than normal, this is extremely minor on the scale of a real disaster. Oh, and one more thing – Fukushima only hit its 8,217 micro-sievert peak for a very short period. Chernobyl's level was sustained. (EDIT: Please see update. | Second update. | Third update. | Fourth update. )