Safety of nuclear power
丁玎 130610102
There is no doubt that with the development of the technology, nuclear power is playing a more and more important role, not only can it be used to make weapons of mass destruction, the nuclear power plant can also provide people with large amount of power. However, the risk of nuclear power cannot be ignored. Nuclear power, or nuclear energy, is the use of exothermic nuclear processes, to generate useful heat and electricity.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Japan, causing devastating tsunami that tore through the costal regions and as a result, the nuclear reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant was severely damaged, sparking explosions and the release of radioactive material. The huge loss caused by the nuclear leak has aroused the attention around the world. More and more people tend to pay attention to the safety of nuclear power.
The principle risks associated with nuclear power arise from health effects of radiation. Nuclear power technology produces materials that are active in emitting radiation and are therefore called 'radioactive'. These materials can come into contact with people principally through small release during routine plant operation, accident in nuclear power plants, accident in transporting radioactive materials, and escape of radioactive wastes from confinement systems. The effects of routine of radioactivity from nuclear plants depend somewhat on how the spent fuel is handled. A typical estimate is that they may reduce our life by 15 minutes. (Cohen n. d.)
According to Blumenthal (n. d.), exposure to high dose of radiation can lead to a broad range of acute health problems which are usually only experienced by individuals close to the source of radiation such as reactor workers. One of the possible acute effects of exposure to high levels of radiation over a small period of time is Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) or radiation sickness. For an exposed individual...