Introduction
Through the process of mastering your muse there is a lot of room for failure. Failure can be catastrophic. I mean there is a certain level that should never be transgressed and in respect to nuclear failures we clearly see that line being crossed. I will be speaking of Chernobyl, a mechanical difficulty, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which depicts a flaw in humanity.
Chernobyl
Chernobyl, is known infamously in regards to the unfortunate occurrences that took part there in 1986 leaving people in constant fear and in trepidation in regards to the usage of nuclear power; however, this is not about the trepidation, but the event itself. Any catastrophic event such as this one leaves the general public distraught, and although we should not dwell it is important to relive history so the repetition of it never occurs.
According to World Nuclear Association what caused it was simply a flaw within the reactor design. But this simple flaw is attributed to the “killing [of] 30 operators and firemen within three months and several further deaths later. One person was killed immediately and a second died in hospital soon after as a result of injuries received. Another person is reported to have died at the time from a coronary thrombosisc. Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) was originally diagnosed in 237 people on-site and involved with the clean-up and it was later confirmed in 134 cases. Of these, 28 people died as a result of ARS within a few weeks of the accident” (World Nuclear Association). I’ll admit that quote is lengthy, but there is a reason why it should be held at such a high regard. Innocent lives, are lives lost, and none of them should be neglected to mention. Something as significant as a flaw in the design should not be taken lightly; however, I don’t think it should generalize nuclear energy as a whole.
Obviously World Nuclear Association has a clear bias to emphasize why Nuclear Power is the way to go, just like in the previous post reviewing Pandora’s Promise; however, it’s absurd how they take statistical significance of catastrophic events and shrug it off as if it means nothing. In regards to the article it states how “a large proportion of childhood thyroid cancers diagnosed since the accident is likely to be due to intake of radioactive iodine fallout” (World Nuclear Association). It goes on by expressing how that is the only impact twenty years after in regards to the radioactivity. That in itself is significant and instills a level of trepidation within me.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This unfortunately was not an accident in regards to the contraption itself, but from a humanitarian perspective, this is a result of accidents in regards to the execution of certain events. Simply put, humanity can be cruel: “On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-45), an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later… another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people”(History.com). This catastrophic event is in the hands of the humanity that lives upon this earth. Why is this related? Because this is the impending fear within so many Americans, that something like this will happen more often, considering the materials will be easier to find readily available. It’s a whole industry
Can Nuclear Technology Be Safe?
According to this video, if you want to utilize nuclear technology on a large scale, such as America it is possible. How? With the utilization of containment which exhaust fuels in container remains for long periods of time, and reprocessing that treats the waste so it can be utilized as a reactor again. Reprocessing isn’t utilized in the United States considering our lack of facilities and due to the basis that it is expensive, and there is more room for danger in regards to what can come out of it.
LINKS:
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7LO8lL4Ai4