[ptaipale]

I have actually lived half a kilometer away from a nuclear reactor. I didn't think twice about it. Itwas a small research reactor at a university campus, of course, but nevertheless, the reason I wouldn't want to live right next to a big energy production reactor is not that I would be afraid it blows up; it's that the plant is a very big building that involves a substantial amount of people, materials and security measures nearby.

That is why it makes sense to build the reactors slightly away from population centers. Not to protect the population, but to avoid annoying it with the presence of a huge energy factory.