How Safe is Nuclear Energy?

Since the Chernobyl catastrophe in 1979, awareness has been raised time and time again concerning the dangers of nuclear energy. Green energy, however, does not consist of these dangers. This is because green energy uses resources that are existent in our environment, and simply need to be converted into energy. These processes are a lot less dangerous than nuclear energy, and also do not pollute the air, the Earth or the environment.

Nuclear power plants use the fission process of atom splitting to create heat to boil the water which in turn will spin the turbines that produce the power. Uranium is a radioactive element that has atoms that can be easily split. When these atoms split, the neutron (or neutral particle of the atom) moves off at a high pace of radiation energy. These neutrons move way to fast to hit other atoms. If the neutrons hit other atoms, those other atoms will also split, causing a massive chain reaction. Since these neutrons move too fast, cooling rods are needed to cool off the neutrons, because cooling will cause the neutrons to slow down enough to continue the chain collisions.

One of the most common concerns people have about nuclear energy is the possibility of a nuclear explosion. These explosions spread radiation for extensive distances, claiming an alarmingly large number of people for the group of listed contaminated persons. One radioactive chemical that is spread by a nuclear explosion is Caesium-137. The health risks of being exposed to this chemical include severe burns, radiation sickness, and in high doses may end in death. This chemical can be inhaled out of the smoke clouds and can contaminate food and water. It takes thirty years for the radioactivity level of caesium-137 to be reduced by half. Another fearsome chemical spread by nuclear explosion is iodine-131, which can cause cancer and thyroid problems, reducing a body's ability to produce hormones. Radiation, however, is not the only concern. The explosions themselves can be catastrophic. Shrapnel and fire are the two most thought of concerns when it comes to these explosions.

There are safety precautions taken in nearly every country that makes use of nuclear energy. Any facility that uses or houses radioactive materials must obtain a license. These facilities are also required to be inspected, both periodically and spontaneously. Another safety precaution used is that the levels of uranium are monitored so that it is not pure enough to explode like an atom bomb. Reactors in the nuclear power plants have four safety features: a shut down system, barriers around the plant to reduce the amount of radioactive material that escapes in case of an accident, systems that continue to reduce heat that is still generated even after the reactors are shut down, and instrument panels that let workers monitor the levels of radioactivity, pressure, heat, etc.

There are many examples throughout history, and even now, that point to the dangers of nuclear energy. Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Tokaimura, and now Fukushima are events that are known by those opposed to the use of nuclear energy. These catastrophes each occurred despite safety precautions. This is because no one can effectively reduce, much less eliminate, human error. There have been many shortcuts taken in power plants. There can be delay between accidents and human action to manually shut down systems if the electronic shut down system is faulty. These catastrophes have caused panic, sickness, and death. Individuals that worked at these plants as well as plant personnel were infected by radioactivity, and in the case of Chernobyl, the land may never again be inhabited due to the large amounts of radioactivity that remain in the environment.

Despite guidelines, rules, regulations and safety precautions, history has shown time and again that nuclear energy will never be perfectly safe. As many people have questioned, even though there is not enough uranium used in nuclear energy as there is used in a nuclear bomb, it does not seem smart to use the exact same procedure that can create a bomb blast as powerful as a nuclear bomb.

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