What are some disadvantages of nuclear energy

According to the statistic, 19.7 percent of the electricity in the Unites States is created by nuclear power. Moreover, the nuclear energy accounted for 59.5 percent of U.S. emission-free generation. Although the way energy been created by nuclear power is environmentally friendly compared to the combustion of fossil fuel and the cost of operating is not very high, there are quite a few disadvantages of the nuclear energy.

First, the operation of creating nuclear energy is not completely safe. The radioactive particles will release into the atmosphere and contaminate groundwater, soil, and seawater as well. I believe everyone is still familiar with the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. On April 26, 1986, a sudden surge of power during a reactor system test destroy Unit 4 of the nuclear power station at Chernobyl, Ukraine, in the former Soviet Union. The accident and the fire that followed released massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment (Backgrounder on Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident). Due to the flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel (Chernobyl Accident 1986), the Chernobyl accident caused dozens of immediate deaths and about 6000 cases of thyroid cancers in the affected area. Not only will the improper operation cause irreversible consequence, the nuclear station itself is a “time bomb”.

(Resource: http://aa.com.tr/en/world/30-years-since-chernobyl-accident-aftermath-lingers/561328)

On March 11, 2011, the earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear accident in Japan since Chernobyl – the Fukushima accident, happened at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northern Japan. Although there are no deaths or cases of radiation sickness from the nuclear accident, over 100,000 people were evacuated

(Resource: http://drsircus.com/world-news/nuclear-disaster-in-fukushima-and-death-of-the-pacific-ocean/

https://www.pinterest.com/drgoodheart/fukushima-mega-nuclear-disaster/)

Second, there is not a feasible way to manage the radioactive waste. The radioactive waste is any material, whether solid, liquid or gas that consists of a radioactive nuclear substance and the operators of the nuclear plant have determined that it’s a waste. This waste comes from nuclear reactors and needs to be disposed of or stored safely and conveniently considering they are highly dangerous and can let off radiations even after thousands of years if disposed of incorrectly (Various Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy).

The US D

1.Temporary spent fuel pools

2.Temporary dry cask storage

3.Long-term burial

4.Reprocessing for plutonium (radioactive chemical element)

5.Powering spacecraft

6.Dumping it in the sea

However, none of them is ideal. The water-cooled pool is not the safest method; the steel and concrete containers are safer but much more expensive; we are not sure whether the long-term burial solution is safe enough; reprocessing fuel for plutonium is not economical; both sending to space and dumping in the sea are not permanent solutions.

(Resource: http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/nuclear-waste/safer-storage-of-spent-fuel#.WShv6-vytdg

http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jun/06-hardcore-nuclear-waste-container-airplane-crash)

Third, initiating a nuclear power station will cost a lot of money.

(Resource: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/44968)

Fourth, eutrophication caused by radioactive waste will lead to the death of aquatic life. Eutrophication is the extensive enrichment of the lake and other water bodies by nutrients which will cause the dense growth of plant life eventually leading to the death of aquatic life due to lack of oxygen (Various Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy).

(Resource: https://phys.org/news/2015-01-scientists-ways-uranium-ore-legacy.html)

Fifth, nuclear power is not a renewable energy source. The raw material for creating nuclear energy is Uranium which is a scarce resource. Uranium is mined which means it is not available in many countries (Various Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy). Once the uranium is completely extracted, there will be no nuclear energy production.

Finally, the impact on humans

(Resource: World Nuclear Association

http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx)

Whether to expand the use of nuclear power is still a problem worth debating.

Reference

Backgrounder on Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident. (n.d.). Retrieved May 17, 2017, from https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/chernobyl-bg.html

Chernobyl Accident 1986. (n.d.). Retrieved May 17, 2017, from http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx

Fukushima Accident. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2017, from http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident.aspx

Fukushima on the Globe. (2015, July 10). Retrieved May 18, 2017, from http://fukushimaontheglobe.com/the-earthquake-and-the-nuclear-accident/whats-happened

Riccio, J. (2012, February 3). U.S. Should Bring an End to the Nuclear Era. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from https://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-nuclear-power-be-expanded/us-should-bring-an-end-to-the-nuclear-era

Various Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy. (2017, May 13). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/disadvantages_nuclearenergy.php

Alic, J. (2012, September 12). 6 Things to do with Nuclear Waste: None of them Ideal. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/6-Things-to-do-with-Nuclear-Waste-None-of-them-Ideal.html