What are the issues associated with nuclear energy???

Question

I want to know as much as possible for a science essay.

Help is appreciated.

Thank you.

Answer 1

One of the biggest problems of using nuclear energy is that a lot of radioactive and toxic waste will be produced. The wastes are produced in the reactor core, or as a result of radioactive contamination, furthermore also as a result of uranium mining, refining and enrichment. About 99% of radiation in nuclear waste is given off from spent fuel rods. But generally the largest part of nuclear waste comes from the uranium mining.

Nuclear weapons:

Another big problem is the developing of new kinds of weapons.  Always new and better kinds of weapons are producing, but what happens when there are new wars and they use these weapons? billions of people will die from radiation.

Effects on human health:

The radiation is very harmful to the cells of the human body and therefore people get sick or even die. Radiation could cause all kinds of cancer, for example leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, cancers of other organs. Nerve cells could be damaged, white blood cells disappear, victims are higher vulnerable to diseases.

Answer 2

The "issue" of nuclear waste is being addressed.  

http://www.nwmo.ca/Default.aspx?DN=268f7...

http://www.yuccamountain.org/

These repositories put the waste so far below ground that even if all the safe guards fail at the same time as soon as the close the lid... it STILL wouldn't ever hurt anyone.  

The perfect natural analogue to demonstrate the feasibility of deep geological disposal is the Oklo Natural Nuclear Reactors.

http://geology.about.com/od/geophysics/a...

"A remarkable thing about the Oklo reactors is that the highly radioactive waste products stayed put without the elaborate containment we use today on nuclear power plant waste. More than a billion years later, everything is contained within a few meters of its source."

To those who say nuclear waste is a problem, I can only laugh at the ignorance.  The problem with nuclear power, is it's too complicated for simple people to understand... and that makes it dark and scary to them.  

Answer 3

The main issue with nuclear energy is the production and use of radioactive materials and nuclear waste. So far, humankind has no way to clean the waste, or deactivate it. We can only store it.

Accidents at nuclear plants could contaminate a region for a very long time (Chernobyl, for example). If a complete meltdown ever occurs, the results would be devastating. The entire region would become contaminated and uninhabitable, for who knows how long. Radioactive waste could spread out over an even larger area due to spreading by wind, or by animals that pass through the region and carry the waste with them. DNA-damage diseases will become more widespread and new ones may appear.

So far, only 4 large accidents have happened. Overheating in Philadelphia and Japan, and fires in Windscale and Chernobyl.