An accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011 caused the release of radioactive material, resulting in around half a million people being evacuated from the area. These people have not been allowed to return to the area because of the health risks of exposure to radiation. But the psychological consequences of long-term evacuation may be more significant than the physical effects of radiation. People who wish to return to live in the area around Fukushima should be allowed to. Studies of a similar situation at Chernobyl showed that average life expectancy for evacuees reduced – not predominantly because of cancer caused by radiation, but because of depression, alcoholism and suicide due to the impact of permanent evacuation. There is, moreover, massive disagreement in the scientific community over how much radiation is 'safe'.