This is a response to Waddington et al. who argue that there was insufficient public health benefit to justify the relocation of several hundred thousand individuals after the Chernobyl and perhaps Fukushima nuclear accidents. We believe the arguments are not defensible either from a radiological/public health point of view, or from a consideration of costs, and we are skeptical of the use of the "J-value assessment" as a foundation to reach these conclusions. There is debate about the health consequences of exposure to ionizing radiation; data on health impacts are often uncertain and incomplete, and therefore not the basis on which to hesitate to evacuate those affected. (C) 2018 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.