ipl-logo

The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

658 Words3 Pages

In our society, the need for a clean and reliable source of power is in high demand. Nuclear power may be a source of this energy. This energy comes from nuclear fission. Uranium-235 is hit with neutrons and this starts a chain reaction that generates a lot of heat. Water is then converted into steam that is used to spin turbines to generate power. Deadly radiation is produced in this reaction, but it is contained within the plant. According to John Pearson in The risk of Nuclear Power Outweigh the Benefits, “There are many threats presented by nuclear power that would be compounded by any expansion of existing nuclear programs.” (Pearson) He takes this position because nuclear power is an accident that is waiting to happen, there …show more content…

Should the generating of this power be a concern for public safety? Both authors believe that there are some risks presented by nuclear power. The reason for this is because of the radiation that the plant produces when generating power. With 440 nuclear plants around the world producing sixteen percent of the world’s power consumption; they are still 52 times safer then power created from oil. (Goodwin) “…baby teeth in the US in 2003 showed that all US children now carry strontuim-90” (Pearson) This strontium-90 is a radiative element that is created from nuclear fission.
In 1986, the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Russia caught fire and sent out lots of radiation. Goodwin adds, “The crudely designed plant caught fire and released significant radiation.” (Goodwin) Chernobyl sent firefighters to the scene with no protection from the radiation that killed most of them. Chernobyl was not prepared or ready for an accident like this to occur.

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Fission

    354 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the nuclei of Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 undergo nuclear fission, they produce waste as a by-product, which is known as nuclear waste or “fission fragments”. (Leslie Corrice, 2015) This waste contains radioisotopes, which are radioactive isotopes that have long half-lives. This means that the radioisotopes are able to stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years, which is extremely hazardous to the earth’s environment. Very commonly this waste contaminates water and ruins the quality of both air and soil, which in turn devastates the planet.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power Plants

    160 Words  | 1 Pages

    Contrary to popular belief, nuclear power plants are unable to explode. Power plants use fuel that is thirty to ninety times too diluted to explode.

    Read More

  • Helen Cadicott Nuclear Power Is Not The Answer Summary

    939 Words  | 4 Pages

    In “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer,” Helen Caldicott argues that pursuing nuclear energy would be a detriment to the United States. According to Caldicott, nuclear power, contrary to what the industry claims, is not clean and green, but rather a pollutant and a strong contributor to the destruction of the ozone layer. Because of the availability of uranium ore steadily decreasing, the process is requiring more and more fossil fuels to extract the ore. Caldicott projects that within ten to twenty years, nuclear reactors will be counterproductive because of the amount of fossil fuel it will take to mine the remaining uranium. In addition to air pollution, nuclear power plants also emit radioactive gases and materials that have the potential

    Read More

  • Examples Of Proof Why Canada Should Use More Nuclear Energy

    695 Words  | 3 Pages

    What do you think about nuclear energy is safe or not? Do you know why nuclear energy is important to us? And do you really know why we need to have this kind of energy? After my speech, it will make you to understand why we need to rely on this kind of energy.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay-Nuclear Energy Is Australia's Future

    607 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nuclear power produces fewer carbon emissions than traditional energy sources because energy is not produced by burning molecules but splitting atoms. ‘An energy mix including nuclear power has the lowest impact on wildlife and Ecosystems’ as shown by a Conservation Biology paper. Consequently, greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by nearly half which shows the benefits and popularity of nuclear power use. Nuclear power has many environmental benefits such as small waste production, leaves no adverse effect on water, land or any habitats. By reducing fossil fuel consumption and switching to Nuclear Energy, we will sustain the environment, quality of air, improving the overall quality of

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Fission

    1640 Words  | 7 Pages

    At least 5 million people were sick or disabled, and 985,000 were left dead. Even today, 4.5 million people have their houses on affected land, and are eating food that has been poisoned by this incident. The damage that nuclear power can do is off the charts, and although it doesn’t pollute the air like fossil fuels do, it can wreak havoc. Right now, 4.5 million people are sitting on radiation, smelling radiation, eating radiation, and living on radiation. Nuclear fission is what caused all the destruction.

    Read More

  • What Are The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Energy

    1790 Words  | 8 Pages

    Nuclear energy has numerous world benefits that other forms of energy creation just don’t, and its pros are truly unprecedented by any other source of energy. Nuclear power plants are inexpensive to run, which means they can easily be maintained and sustained at a low cost. And while the reactors themselves may be expensive, with government grants the materials can be much more easily purchased and built. The most expensive part of the nuclear reactor process is the uranium, which again, isn’t hard to get as it’s used in few other applications and can be acquired through government programs. Additionally, the energy emitted from these power plants compared to their cost is immense and an extremely worthwhile investment for governments and private businesses.

    Read More

  • Marshall Island Nuclear Effects

    1360 Words  | 6 Pages

    The people of the island were forced to evacuate their homes and were told they could return home after the nuclear testing was complete. Little did they know; the levels of radiation would still be too high for the land to be inhabited for years to come. Once they returned home, they were forced to evacuate once again. Shortly after “Bravo” was detonated, 51 people were affected by the blast, some being over 100 miles away from the explosion. They had to be evacuated and treated for symptoms of acute radiation sickness including nausea, vomiting, skin burns, and hair loss.4 “After the “Bravo” test the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) began Project 4.1, “the study of the response of human beings exposed to significant beta and gamma radiation due to fallout from high-yield weapons.

    Read More

  • Fission Vs Nuclear Fusion Essay

    1284 Words  | 6 Pages

    Fission is used in nuclear power plants and produce a great amount of energy for us. To produce any type of these reactions, different conditions must be met and different amount of energy is

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Nuclear Energy

    3678 Words  | 15 Pages

    Nuclear energy may be the solution that eliminates our concern for energy production in the future, but it still remains a huge issue for the environment. Despite its wide use in many developed countries, nuclear energy poses many threats to both the

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: Nuclear Energy Vs. Solar Energy

    1466 Words  | 6 Pages

    Probably words like radiation, mutations and Homer Simpson pop into your head. However, that is not the case. According to Mark A. Jones, Director of Nuclear Operations and Engineering at Hutchinson Island Nuclear Power Plant, during our interview stated: “Nuclear energy compared to solar energy brings less of an impact because nuclear energy doesn 't emit air pollution unlike other forms of energy. It also only needs the fraction of land the salon energy needs and self-contain its own waste from polluting the environment.”

    Read More

  • Nuclear Power Argumentative Essay

    944 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nuclear energy is something that we`ve all heard about. It carries risk and potential. When an atom (Uranium and Plutonium in nuclear power plants) is bombarded by neutrons, it can be split, causing fission. This fission releases more neutrons, which causes a chain reaction. Nuclear power plants use this use the heat that is created by fission to heat water that spins their turbines (“Nuclear Energy”).

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Banning The Atomic Bomb

    862 Words  | 4 Pages

    "(Erwin). From this knowledge one can see that U-235, found by Niels Bohr, can react and explode in very harmful ways. Now without this

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Iran's Nuclear Program

    244 Words  | 1 Pages

    One of the positive outcomes in having this nuclear deal with Iran is that there were be restrictions in their nuclear program. Uranium "that's the stuff, you take out the ground and use it for nuclear fuel, for power plants, or even bomb... The deal requires for rent to give up 97% of its enriched uranium" is almost all of Iran's nuclear sources. (Vox) out of 10,000 kg Iran will only have 300 kg making it impossible for them to do anything with nuclear power. For example uranium that is used "medical research uranium is enriched to 20% while weapons enrich uranium is up to 90%" so Iran does not have the resources in actually making any nuclear weapon.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Alternative Energy Sources

    1161 Words  | 5 Pages

    Should we pursue alternate energy sources? I feel that we should pursue alternate energy sources. It would stop pollution and global warming from happening so sudden, as we have it currently in our generation. Using renewable energy means that we will never run out of the energy we need.

    Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

Open Document