Nuclear power is dangerous.

Safety issues are ongoing in nuclear power plants. Accidents on these sites can bring devastating consequences, leading to casualties and the radioactive fallout. Several nuclear accidents around the world have proven that a nuclear power plant is nothing more than a time bomb.

Nuclear reactor technology is schematics, invented during the Cold War. The United States and Russia mainly have studied the nuclear technology after signing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Although the intention of building nuclear power plants was positive, maintenance were problematic without proper safety culture.

According to the Physicians for Social Responsibility, the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine is caused by lack of safety measures, and the nuclear explosion released radiation covering 11,000 square kilometers of unusable lands and led to 85,000 casualties out of 600,000 people received elevated doses of radiation (1). The 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown in Pennsylvania started with the overheated core and caused long-term health consequences, such as lung cancer or leukemia, for the surrounding area (PSR).

The developed countries, which are granted with nuclear reactor technology, have witnessed the destruction of the nuclear power, yet they persisted on building the nuclear plants. New safety measures sound seemingly promising until the countries realize that the threats are too risky to depend on prediction and insurance.

The 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster in Japan was caused by natural disasters and expected to be the worst accident in history. According to the report of Global Issues, a massive tsunami caused damage on the nuclear plant, and several nuclear power plants began to malfunction (1). Although the shutdowns of the reactors were successful, the IAEA reported that the incident was characterized a level 7 event on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, and this cumulative release of radiation might eventually surpass Chernobyl levels (2). Water to cool the reactors was contaminated with plutonium leakage, and the Fukushima workers dumped the contaminated water into the ocean (3). Traces of radioactivity were discovered in rainwater and atmospheric samples in China, South Korea, Vietnam, and as far away as the eastern coast of the United States (4). The mandatory evacuation from the inner 20 kilometer (12 mile) zone processed 78,000 residents and voluntary evacuation from 20 to 30 kilometers (12 to 18 miles) processed 60,000 people (5). All agricultural products and trade activities within the radiation zone were officially halted (Fukushima).

The current nuclear reactor technology is unstable, and the catastrophes of the nuclear meltdown is risking human lives and the environment. The nuclear disasters in history have shown that nuclear energy is too costly with sacrifices of human lives and the nuclear power plant should be banned globally.


Work Cited

“Dirty, Dangerous and Expensive: The Truth about Nuclear Power.” Physicians for Social Responsibility: United States Affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Web. <http://www.psr.org/resources/nuclear-power-factsheet.html>

"Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Crisis." Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Global Issues In Context. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.