Lhomme is intimately acquainted with the attitude of the French toward the nuclear industry. "Up to now, most people have believed that power plants are safe and clean, that France is the world champion of nuclear power." But that, he adds, is changing.

Akkuyu, the picturesque town on the Aegean Sea where Turkey plans to build its first nuclear plant, is only a few kilometers from a seismic zone. In 1970...we were afraid of the Soviet Union...Today we are afraid of earthquakes"

"The Tricastin nuclear power plant was missing a piece of equipment used to trap spilling liquids. Technically speaking, it's something very basic that every gas station has. ... Accidents like the one in Tricastin shouldn't happen."

In an age where companies such as Enron and Tyco have created a disillusioned public, the concept of corporate responsibility may seem to be an anomaly.