As a domain expert, I specialize in nuclear power and its history, including incidents and accidents. It's important to note that while accidents can occur, the nuclear industry has stringent safety protocols in place to minimize risks. When discussing nuclear accidents, it's crucial to differentiate between various levels of severity. The International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) is a tool used to communicate the significance of nuclear-related events to the public. It ranges from Level 0 (no safety significance) to Level 7 (major accident), with the latter being the most severe.
The term "nuclear meltdown" is often used colloquially to describe any serious incident at a nuclear power plant, but technically, it refers to a severe nuclear accident where the reactor core overheats and melts down. The most well-known example of a nuclear meltdown is the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, which is classified as a Level 7 event on the INES scale.
In the United States, there have been a number of nuclear incidents, but very few could be classified as "meltdowns" in the strict sense of the term. The Three Mile Island accident in 1979 is the only one that comes close to this definition. It was a partial core meltdown, but it did not result in any direct fatalities or harm to the public due to the containment structure's effectiveness and the plant's safety systems. This incident is rated as Level 5 on the INES scale.
The statement that "Fifty-seven accidents have occurred since the Chernobyl disaster, and almost two-thirds (56 out of 99) of all nuclear-related accidents have occurred in the US" seems to be misleading. The number of accidents can vary depending on the source and the criteria used to define an "accident." However, it's not accurate to say that two-thirds of all nuclear accidents have occurred in the US. The US does have a significant number of nuclear power plants, which may contribute to a higher number of incidents, but not to the extent of two-thirds of the global total.
It's also important to note that the fatality rate associated with nuclear power plant accidents is relatively low compared to other forms of energy production. This is due in part to the safety measures in place and the low probability of severe accidents.
In summary, while there have been incidents at US nuclear power plants, the term "nuclear meltdown" should be reserved for the most severe accidents, of which the Three Mile Island accident is the most notable example in the US. The number of such severe accidents is not as high as the statement suggests, and the safety record of the US nuclear industry is generally considered to be good, with robust regulations and safety protocols in place.

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Fifty-seven accidents have occurred since the Chernobyl disaster, and almost two-thirds (56 out of 99) of all nuclear-related accidents have occurred in the US. There have been comparatively few fatalities associated with nuclear power plant accidents.read more >>