The risk doesn't end with the launch, nor is the risk limited to Florida. The probe will first fly from Earth to Venus, then back in kind of slingshot flyby of Earth's orbit, gaining momentum for its trip to Saturn.
Environmentalists worldwide are alarmed.
Radiation health effects expert Helen Caldicott points out that plutonium is so toxic that even one pound, if evenly distributed, could give a fatal case of lung cancer to every person on Earth. Meanwhile, a safe alternative for powering missions like Cassini does exist. The European Space Agency has already developed highly efficient solar cell technology for deep space missions. Solar cells could provide the 745 watts of electricity that Cassini requires to power the instruments aboard the probe. Most of NASA's Earth orbit satellites already use solar power, and several studies have indicated that deep space missions such as the Cassini mission could be powered by solar cells.