Nuclear Power: Dirty, Dangerous and Expensive

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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. There are two main types of nuclear reactors used in the world, Pressurized Water Reactors, known as PWR’s, and Boiling Water Reactors, known as BWR’s. The former is more complicated and thusly more safe and more commonly used, while the latter presents several unnecessary hazards and is quickly being phased out of usage (Duke, n.d.). In both systems, reactions take place inside of a reaction chamber located within a co... ... middle of paper ... ...etrieved from http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/health_effects.html World Nuclear Association. (2012). Physics of uranium and nuclear energy. In World Nuclear Association. Retrieved from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Nuclear- FuelCycle/Introduction/Physics-of-Nuclear-Energy/. World Nuclear Association. (2013a). Chernobyl accident 1986. In World Nuclear Association. Retrieved from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of- Plants/Chernobyl-Accident/. World Nuclear Association. (2013b). The economics of nuclear power. In World Nuclear Association. Retrieved from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Economic- Aspects/Economics-of-Nuclear-Power/. Zott, L.M. and Schier, H. (2013). Introduction to nuclear power: Opposing viewpoints. Nuclear power. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?.

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