I’ve been mulling over this for awhile, as I’ve been listening to everyone and their monkey freak out over the Fukushima nuclear reactor accident. I am simply not the slightest bit stressed out about this, or, to be honest, very upset.

I’m not saying this isn’t a serious problem, because it is. What I’m saying is that what we’ve got going otherwise for power is a whole lot more deadly.

Total deaths from nuclear power reactor accidents, all time: 56

Deaths from mine accidents in the US only, last year: 31

Deaths from mine accidents in West Virginia since 2000: 46

Reported deaths from mine accidents in China in 2009: 2,631

That’s 56 deaths, ever, from nuclear reactor disasters, compared to 46 deaths, just in West Virginia, just in the past decade.

But wait! You cry, that doesn’t count deaths from cancer that happened later! Nope. It doesn’t. But it also doesn’t count deaths from black lung, and I’m pretty sure that number is a whole lot higher, just for WV.

But what about the environmental concerns and problems from radiation? Don’t make me laugh.

So like I said, I’m having a hard time getting worked up over and accident whose ramifications pale in comparison to what my state has gone through for more than a century.

See this site for some further comparisons of the human costs of different forms of energy.