According to Reuters, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved temporary nuclear waste storage in New Mexico. Holtec International, a nuclear energy company, received approval to store 500 canisters containing about 8,700 tonnes of nuclear waste. In addition, the Biden Administration plans to maintain and expand the country’s atomic energy industry to help combat climate change. But is nuclear energy safe? The answer might surprise you.
Nuclear power is the overall safest energy source.
The World Nuclear Association reports the nuclear energy industry experienced almost no accidental deaths per unit of electricity generated. For comparison, the coal industry experiences 120 fatalities due to accidents per terawatt year, whereas nuclear experiences less than .01. Oil and natural gas report nearly 100 and 72 deaths per terawatt year, respectively. A terawatt year is the amount of electricity used globally in approximately five months.
There have only been two significant nuclear accidents in recorded history: Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima Daiichi in 2011. And of the two, only Chernobyl caused any fatalities due to radiation exposure. The accident occurred because of poor safety regulations and faulty reactor design. However, there were less than 30 deaths due to radiation sickness caused by the accident. And less than 50 total, including related fatalities in the following years.
The Fukushima Daiichi accident happened when the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan’s history triggered a massive tsunami. The March 11, 2011, tsunami flooded the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, destroying the cooling system. However, there were no cases of radiation sickness related to the meltdown.
Nuclear energy is environmentally friendly when handled correctly.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, nuclear power reactors emit zero carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Although the processes for mining uranium and creating reactor fuel can create fossil fuel emissions. Additionally, radioactive waste created can be dangerous to humans and the environment.
However, when handled properly, the waste created by nuclear reactors poses no threat to the environment. Proper protocol sees low- and high-level radioactive waste stored in specially designed containers that prevent radiation from leaking into surrounding environments. And there are strict decommissioning regulations closed reactors undergo before using the property for other purposes.
Why do people think nuclear power plants are so dangerous?
If data shows nuclear power is the overwhelmingly safest energy option, why are people so afraid? The answer lies with the previously mentioned disasters. According to Forbes, Governments overreacted to the disasters at Chernobyl, Fukushima, and the 1979 Three Mile Island incident.
Scientists determined the government relocated between five and ten times more people than necessary after Chernobyl between 1986 and 1990. And scientists said it was “difficult to justify moving anyone away from Fukushima Daiichi on grounds of radiological protection.”
Additionally, a Nobel Prize winner, Hermann Muller, published research in the 60s that suppressed information on nuclear energy’s safety. His status as a Nobel laureate gave him enough influence to establish his “falsified theory” as scientific fact. According to Pulitzer-winning journalist Richard Rhodes, Muller’s motivations overlapped with “an anti-nuclear movement that originated in hostility to population growth.”
Between Muller’s rhetoric and the hysteria created by the three incidents, nuclear energy has a poor rapport. In reality, nuclear power causes the fewest deaths among energy sources. And it emits no pollutants into the environment. So as long as companies follow regulations and guidelines, nuclear power is perfectly safe.
