Is Nuclear Energy Safe?
There are many concerns when it comes to the use of Nuclear Power for our safety. Nuclear waste disposal and nuclear meltdowns being the two that are discussed when Nuclear Energy is involved. So, they should and must be addressed.
Nuclear Waste Disposal
Concerns
Nuclear waste disposal has been a discussion that has made the news a few times. Specifically, where to put it. There are many factors limiting locations like geology, transportation, and such, but the main one is people. Not many people want nuclear waste in their backyard. Which is a problem for its disposal. Although, it is very fair for them to be concerned.
Methods
Current methods use secure facilities that are deep underground to store the waste. Thus, keeping the waste away from population centers and nature itself. The waste, highly radioactive like spent nuclear fuel, is kept in containers specifically designed to contain them while in the facility for centuries. The rock surrounding it is selected for reducing movement. While there are concerns general consensus is that this is enough to keep the waste there for times so long that the waste becomes less of a concern. Although, there is support and evidence for its safety wariness is warranted. However, it is the best there is for storage of such waste. Not to mention it is still better than pumping waste into the atmosphere like coal powerplants.
Nuclear Accidents and Meltdowns
Major Incidents and Accidents.
There have been certainly a few incidents and accidents that have occurred when it comes to nuclear power and radiation in general. A few have even gained notoriety and infamy. Like, the partial meltdown of the Three-Mile-Island Unit 2 reactor on May 28, 1979. The complete meltdown of Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine near Pripyat on the date of April 26, 1986. The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident occurred near the coast in the Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2011, when a few units of the power plant melted down due to a tsunami. These incidents have displaced hundreds of thousands, irradiated large areas with radioactive material, and the deaths of many.
Towards the Future of Nuclear Safety and Power
The incidents of Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three-Mile-Island serve as a grim and stark reminder of the dangers of Nuclear Energy when things go wrong with it. However, the future is looking bright for Nuclear Energy and its safety. For one, the potential advent of Nuclear Fusion (the fusion of lighter elements into heavier elements}, which produces little to no radioactive waste. Which would significantly reduce the harm of Nuclear Power if adopted. Another is the creation of safer reactor designs that will have multiple failsafe's and have in their philosophy the lessons learned from previous incidents.
Conclusion
While there are many concerns to be had with Nuclear Energy and the waste it produces, methods are being and have already been implemented to increase safety of nuclear power. Many innovations are being made in the field of safety for nuclear power. Not to mention when all is said and done Nuclear is the safest or at least one of the safest power sources in terms of deaths per 1000 terawatt hours at 90 deaths.