How Is Nuclear Energy Harmful?

.Nuclear energy is one of the leading sources of power in the United States, but along with all of the benefits that come with nuclear energy, there are also disadvantages. These disadvantages can be harmful to people, the environment and the world as a whole.



.Function


Before you can understand how nuclear is harmful, you must understand the process that goes into creating nuclear energy. First, uranium must be gathered and put through an enrichment process to get it ready for nuclear reactors. The uranium is then put through "fission." Fission is the splitting of an atom and this is the process that actually creates the radioactive material and gives off radiation. That fission process creates a chain reaction between all of the uranium and the heat from this process turns water into steam. That steam spins the turbines and generators to create electricity.


Features


The radiation that is released into the air is harmful to many living things. There is natural radiation that comes from our homes, bodies, and televisions, but the radiation from nuclear waste can add more and create enough to become harmful. If a person is exposed to enough radiation, mutations can occur, mostly to newborns. This includes humans and animals. Unless there is a nuclear disaster or the waste gets into the wrong hands, the everyday exposure from outputted radiation is hardly noticeable.


Considerations


Everyday operations in a nuclear plant cannot cause widespread damage, but there are few things that can spread it quickly. Nuclear meltdowns and explosions send radiation into the air at a rapid pace. One of the biggest disasters in history was the Chernobyl explosion. Many lives were lost due to the radiation and mutations occur among newborns around the area as well.


When nuclear power is contained, it is a relatively safe procedure, but when the nuclear power gets into the wrong hands, nuclear weapons can be created. Nuclear weapons are a large aspect of terrorism and the use of nuclear weapons can be harmful to large areas of land.


Effects


Radioactive waste also spreads through water that is used at nuclear reactors. This has a huge effect on the surrounding aquatic life and can even cause mutations in fish. Swimming is banned in any water around nuclear plants because the radioactive waste in these waters could be potentially deadly to humans.


Prevention/Solution


In order to stop the amount of harm that nuclear energy causes, there are a few steps the government can do. The first is to find proper storage for the radioactive waste. Some prospects have been looked at, but a permanent solution needs to be found to keep people safe. The other step is to seize any nuclear weapons that could mean disaster for the whole world. If the nuclear weapons are destroyed, they cannot be used to inflict harm.