By Daniel Blechynden
When the conversation turns to nuclear power, one of the first questions on everyone’s lips is, “What are the advantages and disadvantages, and how safe is it?” Various media and information channels provide conflicting, sensationalized information depending on their core values. Depending on your point of view, nuclear reactors could be seen as one of the most environmentally friendly and safe forms of electricity generation. Alternatively, they could be viewed as dated, antique technology with no place in modern society due to their risks.
Highly toxic radioactive materials fuel nuclear reactors and produce waste products, which are among the most dangerous substances known to man. Due to this, stringent standards are put into place by various institutions to protect the public and the environment. Reactor construction only commences once a complete design incorporating climatic and geological conditions has been drafted. While most reactors follow the same design principles, construction techniques vary between regions. For example, a reactor in Japan – where earthquakes are common – will be designed differently than in some regions of Europe, where floods pose the greatest threat.
Nuclear Energy and the Environment
Concerns about environmental safety arise primarily due to the toxic waste produced. If this waste escapes containment facilities, entire regions can be inhabitable to humans and wildlife. Species can be killed off, and those that remain can be seriously affected by elevated radiation levels interfering with reproductive and immune systems. Current nuclear waste storage facilities are temporary and do not meet the standards necessary for guaranteed environmental protection.
Another concern is the ability of radioactive contaminants to pollute a large area. In the fallout from the Chernobyl disaster, trees within a ten-kilometre radius were killed – an indicator of the severe impacts felt by surrounding ecosystems. Around 100,000 square kilometers of land was seriously contaminated, and increased radiation levels were measured over most of Europe. In agricultural areas surrounding the disaster zone, vast numbers of newborn animals were reported to show gross birth defects such as missing or deformed limbs, missing eyes, ribs, or heads, and deformed skulls. Radioactive particles became airborne following the disaster and fell across Europe: workers in a nuclear facility in Sweden detected radioactive particles on their clothing, which they were able to trace back to Chornobyl.
What About Fukushima?
A primary concern following the Fukushima accident is the contamination of the ocean. Vast amounts of contaminated water were released directly into the Pacific, and much more radiation entered the sea via rivers. While the effects of this pollution aren’t devastating, radiation levels have the potential to build up in the food chain, with high-order predators such as sharks and dolphins being affected the most. This is worrying because these higher-order species are usually the ones most threatened with extinction, requiring the greatest conservation efforts.
However, despite the obvious consequences, if a radiation leak does occur, the likelihood of such an event is minute. Modern technology ensures that all risks and chances of radiation leakage are considered when designing a reactor – especially after the recent disaster in Japan.
Given this information, how safe is nuclear power for the environment? While reactors can usually be constructed and operated without issue, it is impossible to discount the disasters that have occurred and could occur again – no matter how small the chances are. When safer, less damaging technologies are available – such as wind, solar, or geothermal power – they need to be used. The environmental risks associated with nuclear power production are too significant to ignore, and therefore, they need to be phased out in favor of cleaner, more environmentally friendly power sources.
Daniel Blechynden is a contributing writer at Greentumble.com.
