Nuclear power and nuclear wastes

Nuclear (or atomic) energy comes from the energy stored within the nuclei of atoms. The energy produced from nuclear reactions is known as radiation.

There are several arguments for using nuclear power as a source of energy. First, the earth contains a limited supply of fossil fuels.

Second, fossil fuels are very harmful to environment. Nuclear power does not add to the greenhouse effect.

Third, the earth contains a large supply of natural uranium. Nuclear power could, theoretically, supply all the world’s energy needs for thousands (and possibly millions) of years.

Fourth, nuclear power comes to the consumer as electricity, which is clean and convenient from energy.

However, there are many reasons why nuclear power is not the best source of energy. First, there is the danger of nuclear war. Thankfully, nuclear power has not been used for destructive purposes since World War II. The next nuclear war would probably destroy the world as we know it.

Second, even “peaceful” nuclear power is a danger to health. The radiation released when atoms split causes cancer and birth defects. Many survivors of the atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki later died of cancer, and women gave birth to deformed babies. Nuclear power stations are a potential source of this harmful radiation. The massive radiation leak from Chernobyl in the Soviet Union in 1986 was caused by a fire in the reactor. People living in or near Chernobyl developed cancers.

Third, there are the problems of nuclear reprocessing and nuclear wastes. Impurities build up within the core of a nuclear reactor and stop working efficiently. These impurities are highly radioactive and dangerous to health. They must be stored deep underground in steel or concrete boxes. Eventually, they will decay into stable elements, but this takes a long time. Plutonium-239, which is the most toxic man-made substance in the world, has half-life of 24,000 years - that is, it takes 24,000 years to lose half of its radioactivity. There is no easy or permanent method of disposing of radioactive waste.

A few years ago, many of us thought that nuclear power was the easy answer to the world’s energy problems. It was, we thought, a clean, modern and efficient way to generate almost unlimited amounts of electricity. But today’s nuclear power will be tomorrow’s radioactive waste. We cannot make radioactive waste safe; we can only bury it and try to forget about it. It will be a problem for our children, our children’s children and many generations after them.

6.2 For further information about the biographies of the famous scientists and their achievements use Hotlist - Famous Scientists WebQuest

http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/fil/pages/webwebquestel.html

Дата добавления: 2015-08-03