Notes on Nuclear Power [Citation Needed]

[athelind]

... This is just a quick note. No substance, no references, no citations.


A lot of people are up in arms about how the situation in Japan underscores the "dangers of nuclear power".

To this point, the radiation leaked into the environment is minimal. Things are Very Bad Indeed if you're within a certain radius of the plant, but my suspicion is that the increased health risks and hazards caused by this amount of radiation will still be substantially less than those caused by fossil fuel plants.

Let me emphasize this:

The environmental and human impact of a complex of nuclear reactors failing catastrophically after a major disaster is less than that of fossil fuel plants in the regular course of their operation.^{[Citation Needed]}

I will endeavor to find numbers to confirm or deny this next week, after I return home.

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Yes, I just used the Lorax as an icon in a possibly-pro-nuclear post.

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Comments

[fengi.livejournal.com]

As far as I've determined, that's a disputed claim which involves comparing large amounts of raw coal ash to the radiation produced by properly stored nuclear waste.

The reason nuclear energy has a good safety record and radiation pollution is currently less of a threat is the industry has better controls in relation to the risk it presents (making it less economically viable so the industry is constantly undermining it).

The pollution from other sources doesn't prove radiation is a neglible harm, it means those other sources are in dire need of equall strict regulation and control as nuclear power.

This comparison arguement is like saying more people get die in cars than planes so plane crashes aren't actually dangerous. Or saying a series of near misses at stop signs there's no reason to slow down.

The failures in Japan were a lucky near miss, not proof radiation doesn't matter. Japan's safety standard is higher than most, and they still made bad decisions and errors.

Critics of nuclear power aren't all or nothingm, they're concerned about rational high safety standards not being consistently followed, especially when plants are built near fault lines.