[The Vector] Nuclear Madness (Continued)

　…continued from an earlier article …

This leads me to the 2^nd reason why I am against nuclear energy – the danger and risks. On this point, I have had engineers and nuclear experts argue that the debate is unfair and that nuclear is “safe”, “clean” and “powerful.” They always mention the newer, better plants and that nuclear waste can be “safely” tucked away, and that it doesn’t take so much space and can be monitored. They are enamoured with the power and science of nuclear. But answer me this:

We have no idea how to destroy or neutralize nuclear waste, do you? This incredibly debilitating junk sits and pollutes the earth. It is a killer. God forbid some sort of accident occurs, like at Fukushima or Chernobyl, not to mention other “minor” accidents. So much exposure and death, large swathes of earth polluted and unusable.

S. David Freeman, former head of the Tennessee Valley Authority and Sacramento Municipal Utility district, and an engineer, said “The energy policy debate in American was woefully incomplete until the nuclear disaster occurred in Japan. The public wasn’t informed that nuclear power plants hold awesome radioactive threats that cause cancer, threats that are here and now and real. The federal government and the nuclear lobby are advancing these radioactive factories as a clean and safe solution to climate change. The push for a revival of nuclear power gives new meaning to the old phrase “pick your poison.” The nuclear crow is urging that we replace carbon dioxide with plutonium. We must learn the fundamental lesson from the Fukushima disaster that it is time to turn away from this extraordinarily dangerous technology.”

The scientists at www.nuclearbailout.org state that study after study has found that any increase in radiation exposure leads to an increase in risk for cancer. At various points in the nuclear fuel life cycle, nuclear power poses serious risks to public health. This can be from the mining plutonium or from operating or being exposed at or from plants or groundwater. “Radionuclides routinely released in nuclear reactor operations have been linked to developmental problems, birth defects, reproductive problems, cardiovascular disease, leukemia and other cancers. Pollutants from nuclear power such as tritium, which acts like water in the body, can enter fetuses through the placenta. Tritium leaks into groundwater have been reported all over the United States, from Arizona to New York. Epidemiological studies of children living near nuclear reactors show a positive association between leukemia and proximity to nuclear reactors. ‘Low-level’ radioactive waste, so classified based on its source and not its relative safety hazards, kept in shallow landfills can seep into groundwater and expose communities to an array of different radionuclides, from those with relatively short-half lives like tritium, to long-lived and highly toxic plutonium.

In addition, the scientists say that the history of nuclear power “…is one pock-marked by a deficient safety culture, nonexistent waste solutions, repeated unintentional radiation releases, and both major and minor accidents.”

Nothing can be entirely safe, and the risk level of nuclear energy is simply too high. Whether the risk is from a natural disaster such as at Fukushima, human error, groundwater leaks or deliberate terrorist attack, is such an overwhelming risk worth any price, especially when an array of other energy sources that do not have anywhere near the danger level, are available?

If there was not one other energy option out there, then maybe the debate would be different. But there are plenty of other options. I shout, NO to nuclear!