The New Deal on Nuclear Energy

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affected, but also the lives of the surrounding people and the workers of the oil plant were put in danger. Nuclear power is exceptionally controversial in the subject of safety. Many critics of nuclear power point to the irresponsible generation of additional harmful radiation into the areas surrounding nuclear activities. Similar to the controversy surrounding greenhouse gases and global warming, radiation is a risk that is difficult to assess at face value because radiation is invisible to the naked eye and its effects are far from immediate. The danger of nuclear power’s supposed inescapable safety flaws have been sensationalized across the news and popular culture. Movies such as The China Syndrome and the few real stories of substantial damage like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island have corrupted the public opinion to have a negative outlook on expanding nuclear power and existing plants. No new nuclear power plants have been finished since 1977 (Totty). Delays in ...

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is to its workers, who receive about 300 more mrem than the average human by working there (ISU). However, any strong dose of radiation can increase the chance of cancer, and stronger doses may create genetic defects (8, Henderson). While no nearby town or city wants to be the victims of any increased risk of cancer, consider that people who dwell at high altitudes are unknowingly placed at a slightly higher risk of cancer due to greater cosmic radiation exposure because of the reduced atmosphere at higher elevations (Henderson, 13). According to Henderson in his reference handbook on nuclear power, he states that ironically, coal actually inflicts more radiation on the surrounding area ...

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