Was Jane Fonda a reason for Nuclear Scientist's Heart Attack?

President Obama showed his support to nuclear power when he guaranteed government loans for a nuclear project, a first in last 30 years.

Nuclear power became unpopular in the US in 1979 when there was an accident at the nuclear reactor on the Three Mile Island near Harriburg, PA. It is the most significant accident in the history of the American commercial nuclear power generating industry as yet. There was a cessation of new nuclear plant construction in the US after the incident due to a strong public reaction to the event which made nuclear power plants politically unfeasible until now.

Interestingly, the key reason of the strong public reaction was a movie starring Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas. Released 12 days before the Three Mile Island accident and called The China Syndrome, it was about a nuclear accident due to poor safety practices of the power plant. The movie struck a chord with the audience and Jane Fonda became one of the prominent anti-nuclear power spokesperson after the event. The Jane Fonda influence was so significant that government's science advisor, Edward Teller (father of hydorgen bomb) had to counter her and lobbied in favor of nuclear power. Long working hours to neutralize Jane Fonda's advocacy at and old age took its toll and Edward Teller suffered a heart attack. which he blamed on Jane Fonda in a Wall Street advertisement. It said:

"You might say that I was the only one whose health was affected by that reactor near Harrisburg. No, that would be wrong. It was not the reactor. It was Jane Fonda. Reactors are not dangerous."

Photo credit: Marshall Astor