Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
dangers of nuclear energy
danger of nuclear energy essay
nuclear power reasearch essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: dangers of nuclear energy
Many believe that nuclear power plants are a hazard to the people that live around them and the environment in which they are built. However, these assumptions are based mostly on the fact that the nuclear reactors and nuclear power plants of today are built to the same standards that the old nuclear plants from many years ago. Nuclear power today is designed to be much safer than outdated nuclear power plants and have a very minimal chance of causing a nuclear catastrophe. Nuclear power plants are a safe and viable option for generating electricity for the foreseeable future. One of the most common misconceptions about nuclear energy is that a nuclear power plant could explode like a nuclear bomb and cause a massive nuclear incident. This Chernobyl’s nuclear disaster was due to the woefully inadequate design deficiencies of Soviet nuclear plants at the time, the absence of a safety code or practice, and violations of the nuclear plant safety procedures (Safety Nuclear Reactors). The Chernobyl incident wouldn’t have been as bad, but Soviet reactors did not implement containment structures into the reactor designs until after 1980. This left few options to try and contain the leaking radiation. The nuclear plants that are in the US today are much safer than the old plants that were built in the Soviet Union. Safety procedures and containment protocols for radiation are now the norm and many safety measures are now in place. These steps to make nuclear plants safer for everyone are evidenced by the amount of nuclear accidents that have taken place since new safety measures have been put in place. There have only been three nuclear accidents related to power plants since nuclear energy has started being utilized around the globe. Nuclear power plants have been generating electricity for over sixty years and there have only been three incidents related to them. Chernobyl is the only nuclear meltdown to have people die as a result of radiation leaking and radiation
The Chernobyl accident is to this day one the worst nuclear accident ever along with the Fukushima nuclear power plant, with the difference that the Chernobyl accident was handled terribly by the government. The disaster occurred on April 26 of 1986, when a cut of power supply was being simulated and a sudden surge of power in the reactor 4 of the nuclear power plant generated the overheating of the reactor core that caused the detonation of hydrogen built up in its internal parts. This caused a tremendous increase in the level of ionizing radiation in much of Europe. The Chernobyl accident was going to happen sooner or later. Operational standards, as well as design, construction without a containment vessel and quality control of nuclear power were handled by Communist Party political criteria, not technical and economic criteria. Operators did not have to meet strict safety standards and ensure the plant against any type of risk by paying higher premiums because the plants belonged to the state, not like the way is done in Europe, USA and Japan were those safety standards are strictly controlled.
Nuclear power is a very strong yet dangerous element, it has made a huge impact on our economy. Most technology now is powered by Nuclear energy. In many cases the main focus on Nuclear Energy is its advantages (pros), yet no one really pays attention to the dis advantages in Nuclear Energy (cons). But to produce electricity from Nuclear Power, the Nuclear Plant makes a chain reaction, this reaction is then created by a very heavy nuclei that are capable of nuclear fission.
When someone thinks of problems plaguing the world, nuclear energy is not the first thing that comes to peoples minds these days.[1]Nuclear power was once deemed the new energy of the future.[2]However, numerous nuclear power plant accidents around the world put a damper on that notion.The United States considers itself one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, but 103 nuclear reactors currently operating within her borders, one was bound to fail sometime or another.[3]
...nce World War II to the present day, the technology of nuclear power has increased significantly in terms of energy output and safety. The energy efficiency of nuclear power is far superior to its counterpart fossil fuel and renewable energy. Compared to fossil fuels, tiny amounts of fuel used by nuclear reactors is equivalent to a large sum of coal. This is a no brainer. Why mine a ton of coal when a little uranium can be used to gain the same amount of energy? Not only is it efficient, it’s safe to use. Used fuel is packed away in storage safely, so there isn’t any chance of radiation leaking out. In the present day, nuclear power incidents haven’t been occurring lately. Advancements in technology and equipment used have made nuclear energy a very reliable and safe source of energy. With today’s energy needs, nuclear power has the ability to keep up in the race.
There is additional evidence of negative environmental impact with the use of nuclear energy. There is a risk of water contamination with radioactive material from nuclear power plants. The leaking of material has been reported to occur at over a dozen nuclear plants in the U.S. This has contaminated various water sources, including ground water, rivers and streams (examiner.com). In 2011 when an earthquake occurred in Taiwan and generated a tsunami that struck a nuclear power pl...
Overall in the end Nuclear power plants can be seen as a good alternative for energy and also be seen as harmful. Through fission the power plants are able to create electricity through the two types of nuclear reactors, the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWRs) and the Boiling Water Reactor (BWRs). Most states have nuclear power plants now and produce 20% of the nation’s power; around 3 million Americans live within 10 miles of an operating nuclear power plant (Nuclear power plants, n.d.para.1). It does have pros and cons to it but in the end it does create 20% of the nation’s power and the percent is growing.
Chernobyl was an event where a nuclear reactor blew up due to a steam buildup and spread fatal radiation into the air, which ended up killing twenty eight in the upcoming weeks. The two plant workers who were running the test when the buildup happened died instantly. The fires created from the explosions and such destroyed reactor number four, releasing even. However, “Chernobyl is the only accident that in the history of commercial nuclear power where radiation-related fatalities occurred” (Chernobyl Accident 1986). This show that accidents happen and that the regulations and laws have helped prevent accidents since there hasn’t been one in the United States since Three Mile Island. Certain obstacles have been overcome when it comes to Chernobyl. One of the main problems with it was it’s radiation leaking. Because of this, people are building a steel enclosure over the destroyed reactor, preventing any radiation from escaping afterwards for 100 years, according to Nathan Hodge of MSN News. This shows that there is a way minimize this major problem. Chernobyl happened almost half a decade ago and people just found out a way to minimize the damage. There are also easier, less “toxic” energies like solar. Solar is usually used through photovoltaic panels that use the infrared radiation from the sun 's rays and turn it into energy. This may seem like the best option since they don’t release greenhouse gases directly, yet these panels are only useful in certain locations and they don’t produce nearly the same amount of energy that nuclear
...g terrorism. Terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants or terrorist attacks involving nuclear waste could have incredibly detrimental effects on the human population and must be considered when assessing the dangers of nuclear energy production (Peterson and Rohrer).
There is a range of safety concerns in regards to nuclear power with one of these being the effects of radiation resulting from a nuclear accident. Research shows that there is a link between exposure to radiation and the development of cancer (Zakaib 2011) whist Preston (2012) express’s concerns that people exposed to radiation may not be able to see the effects of radiation exposure for several years as was the case in Chernobyl. Furthermore, people are unable to move back into the vicinity of reactors that have been involved in an incident due to their fear of radiation as is the chase in Fukishima (Cyranoski & Brumfiel 2011) and in the areas surrounding Chernobyl (Berton 2006). Governments are increasingly becoming more stringent in the levels of radiation in which people are exposed to with this evident in Fukishma, where the Japanese government evacuated people living within a 30km radius of the plant (Evacuation Orders and Restricted Areas n.d.). As a result of nuclear accidents and the resulting radiation, support for nuclear power has diminished due to safety concerns.
Though nuclear energy has the efficiency and effectiveness to help eliminate our needs for coal and natural gases, it is still too dangerous of an energy form to be using. It has proven to be dangerous through its multiple failures and meltdowns since the Three Mile Island incident. In under thirty five years, three major accidents occurred that will take years to clean up. Chernobyl is still in the clean-up phase even though it occurred in 1986. This clean up phase is only the decommissioning of the plant entirely, not the time it will take for the radiation to hit a level where it will be safe to inhabit the land again. Fukushima will be the same way. We also will not know the total effect of these disasters for thousands of years. For now, it is best that people stick to researching new forms of energy and leaving nuclear energy as a thing of the past.
Most people have bad feelings towards nuclear power because of three major incidents, Three-mile Island in 1979, Chernobyl in 1986, and more recently Fukushima in 2011. It is because of these events that many dislike the idea of nuclear power and have a misunderstanding of what actually happened in these events. According to the World Nuclear Association, “These three significant accidents occurred during more than 16,000 reactor-years of civil operation. Of all the accidents and incidents, only the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents resulted in radiation doses to the public greater than those resulting from the exposure to natural sources. The Fukushima accident resulted in some radiation exposure of workers at the plant, but not such as to threaten their health, unlike Chernobyl. Other incidents (and one 'accident ') have been completely confined to the plant.” (WNA). Each plant had its problems, but the only plant to actually cause damage and the loss of human life was the ukraine reactor in Chernobyl. According to WNA, what happened during the meltdown was that the staff running the reactor did not follow the correct procedure and when they were supposed to follow through with one action they neglected to stop something from happening, therefore resulting in the meltdown of only one reactor out of four. The total meltdown could have been easily prevented if the engineers running the plant had followed through with all plant procedures. The meltdown was an unfortunate accident and many nations turned from nuclear power soon afterwards until more recently when the technology to handle all possible situations with the most extreme care. The United states is best known for its procedures with rectors. The US has set in plans to handle any and all actions for the possible event of a nuclear situation. According to the Nuclear Safeguards Infrastructure Development and
Nuclear energy is produced during the process named nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. The development of nuclear energy started in the 20th century and there is now worldwide recognition for using nuclear energy. Popular countries that operates nuclear power are United States, France, Japan, and Russia, the nuclear energy generates up to 6% of the world’s electricity supplies. Even though the energy is mostly used by many countries, but it may causes side effect to the living things in the environment. (WNA, 2012)
The energy industry is beginning to change. In today’s modern world, governments across the globe are shifting their focuses from traditional sources of power, like the burning coal and oil, to the more complex and scientific nuclear power supply. This relatively new system uses powerful fuel sources and produces little to no emissions while outputting enough energy to fulfill the world’s power needs (Community Science, n.d.). But while nuclear power seems to be a perfect energy source, no power production system is without faults, and nuclear reactors are no exception, with their flaws manifesting in the form of safety. Nuclear reactors employ complex systems involving pressure and heat. If any of these systems dysfunctions, the reactor can leak or even explode releasing tons of highly radioactive elements into the environment. Anyone who works at or near a nuclear reactor is constantly in danger of being exposed to a nuclear incident similar to the ones that occurred at the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi plants. These major accidents along with the unresolved problems with the design and function of nuclear reactors, as well as the economic and health issues that nuclear reactors present serve to show that nuclear energy sources are not worth the service that they provide and are too dangerous to routinely use.
Nuclear power, the use of exothermic nuclear processes to produce an enormous amount of electricity and heat for domestic, medical, military and industrial purposes i.e. “By the end of 2012 2346.3 kilowatt hours (KWh) of electricity was generated by nuclear reactors around the world” (International atomic energy agency Vienna, 2013, p.13). However, with that been said it is evident that the process of generating electricity from a nuclear reactor has numerous health and environmental safety issues.
Media coverage of such cases have made the public less comfortable with the idea of moving further towards nuclear power and they only opt for reducing human activities to reduce global warming. It is true that there have been some notable disasters involving nuclear power, but compared to other power systems, nuclear power has an impressive track record. First, it is less harmful and second, it will be able to cater for the growing world population. Nuclear power produces clean energy and it delivers it at a cost that is competitive in the energy market (Patterson). According to the US Energy Information Administration, there are currently 65 such plants in the Unite States (National Research Council). They produce 19 percent of the total US energy generation.