Nuclear power is dirty.

Mining process of nuclear power creates serious environmental problems. Nuclear power is not free from carbon emission. Rowell claims that fossil fuels are required for mining uranium, building a nuclear power station, and disposing of radioactive waste; therefore “a nuclear power station produces as much carbon dioxide as a gas-fired power station” (3). Uranium is limited resource and will require deeper mining in the future, which will require increased amount of fossil fuels, producing increased amount of carbon dioxide. Soon, it will require more energy to extract uranium than producing energy from the resource. Uranium mining of 1,000 tons of uranium creates approximately 100,000 tons of radioactive tailings that have contaminated rivers and nearly one million gallons of liquid waste containing heavy metals and arsenic in addition to radioactivity; furthermore, “a new method of uranium mining, known as in-situ leaching, does not produce tailings but it does threaten contamination of groundwater water supplies” (“Dirty, Dangerous and Expensive: The Truth about Nuclear Power” 1). The mining process also affects miners who “experience higher rates of lung cancer, tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases (“Dirty, Dangerous and Expensive: The Truth about Nuclear Power” 1). The level of deterioration is extremely high, and it is doubtful that the nature can recover.

Waste disposal also creates a serious environmental problem. Amount of radioactive waste increases while lands to dispose of the waste are limited. The United States alone already accumulated 63,000 metric tons of highly radioactive spent fuel at reactor sites, and “another 42,000 metric tons will be produced by operating reactors” (“Dirty, Dangerous and Expensive: The Truth about Nuclear Power” 1). The wastes can be handled properly if there are enough repository sites. Totty states, however, that the U.S. does not have single permanent repository site after cancellation at Yucca Mountain in Nevada due to public safety (5). After failure to dispose of the existing inventory of spent fuel, “US taxpayers have already paid out $565 million in contract damages to nuclear utilities…[and] an additional billion dollars of damage payments are expected every year for the next decade” (“Dirty, Dangerous and Expensive: The Truth about Nuclear Power” 1). Nuclear power is not green, and environmental problems are accumulating without proper resolutions.

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.

Rowell, Alexis. “Ten Reasons Why New Nuclear Was a Mistake – Even Before Fukushima.” Transition Culture. Web. 15 March. 2011.

Totty, Michael. “The Case For and Against Nuclear Power.” The Wall Street Journal. Web. 30 June. 2008.