Little-Acorn
Well-Known Member
I keep hearing how dangerous and deadly nuclear power is, how we shouldn't have any, etc. The earthquake and tsunami hitting Japan has knocked out a number of their nuclear power plants, with the possibility of core meltdowns and releases of radiation. Japanese officials say they have already released small amounts of radiation to keep plant pressures manageable.
How safe is nuclear power? We've had it for more than fifty years now, while the nation has also been producing large amounts of electricity from coal-fired plants, oil-fired plants, hydroelectric etc.; plus small amounts from geothermal, wind, and solar.
In the last fifty years, how many people have died from nuclear energy plant mishaps? How many died at and near Chernobyl in Russia? How many at Three Mile Island, at plants in France, in Japan, and all other nuclear power plants around the world? How many in uranium mines where the uranium was used in power-generation plants, from transporting uranium, storage and transportation of nuclear waste, etc?
And how many have died from coal-generated energy? How many in coal mines, from black-lung disease, from air pollution from coal-fired plants, coal transportation mishaps, from accidents at coal power plants? And the same questions from oil-fired energy plants, oil fields and pumping plants, refineries, oil tanker mishaps, and the rest?
It's hard to evaluate the safety of each, if you don't know the facts. Each has now had a long time to compiles its relative safety record.
Anybody know the numbers for each?
In fact, if coal and oil generation had compiled the same safety record that nuclear plants have for the past fifty years, wouldn't we be calling coal "the safest industry the world has ever known"?
How safe is nuclear power? We've had it for more than fifty years now, while the nation has also been producing large amounts of electricity from coal-fired plants, oil-fired plants, hydroelectric etc.; plus small amounts from geothermal, wind, and solar.
In the last fifty years, how many people have died from nuclear energy plant mishaps? How many died at and near Chernobyl in Russia? How many at Three Mile Island, at plants in France, in Japan, and all other nuclear power plants around the world? How many in uranium mines where the uranium was used in power-generation plants, from transporting uranium, storage and transportation of nuclear waste, etc?
And how many have died from coal-generated energy? How many in coal mines, from black-lung disease, from air pollution from coal-fired plants, coal transportation mishaps, from accidents at coal power plants? And the same questions from oil-fired energy plants, oil fields and pumping plants, refineries, oil tanker mishaps, and the rest?
It's hard to evaluate the safety of each, if you don't know the facts. Each has now had a long time to compiles its relative safety record.
Anybody know the numbers for each?
In fact, if coal and oil generation had compiled the same safety record that nuclear plants have for the past fifty years, wouldn't we be calling coal "the safest industry the world has ever known"?