Citizens+Per+5-6

__**Costs:**__

 * It costs between 3-5 billion dollars just to //build// a nuclear power plant, that's not including maintenance and safety concerns.
 * Estimated costs of decommissioning per plant is $300-500 million per reactor.

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Sites used for information above:
 * 1) associatedcontent.com/article/302902/disadvantages_of_nuclear_energy.html
 * 2) []

__**Safety Hazards:**__

 * Each year every nuclear reactor is capable of creating enough plutonium to build thirty nuclear bombs. Securing the plutonium so that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands is a huge safety concern.
 * Currently there are no suitable location that provide a suitable storage site for nuclear waste.
 * Accidents in nuclear reactors are much more devastating than normal power plants. Once instance of this was Chernobyl. The water in the power plant over heated and, as a result, pressure built in one of the pipes, causing it to explode.
 * Nuclear reactors are particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
 * Nuclear plant workers may be exposed to high levels of radiation which can cause cancer and other ailments.
 * The statistics show that between 1944 and 1999 in 405 accidents worldwide, approximately 3000 persons were injured, with 120 fatalities (including the 28 Chernobyl victims). During the last few years the number of accidents and incidents involving radiation sources have increased. Often the victims of such occurrences are unaware that they may have been exposed to radiation.

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Sites used for information above:
 * 1) associatedcontent.com/article/302902/disadvantages_of_nuclear_energy.html
 * 2) []
 * 3) []

__**Major Health Concerns:**__

 * The rates of cancer in children around nuclear power plants were 60% higher than expected, the rates of leukemia 117% higher than the expected rate. The risk of leukemia is still high within a 50km circle around the nuclear power plant.



**(1) Hair**
The losing of hair quickly and in clumps.

**(2) Brain**
Like the heart, radiation kills nerve cells and small blood vessels, and can cause seizures and immediate death.

**(3) Thyroid**
The certain body parts are more specifically affected by exposure to different types of radiation sources. The thyroid gland is susceptible to radioactive iodine. In sufficient amounts, radioactive iodine can destroy all or part of the thyroid. By taking potassium iodide, one can reduce the effects of exposure.

**(4) Blood System**
When a person is exposed to high amounts of radiation, the blood's lymphocyte cell count will be reduced, leaving the victim more susceptible to infection. This is often refered to as mild radiation sickness. Early symptoms of radiation sickness mimic those of flu and may go unnoticed unless a blood count is done.According to data from Hiroshima and Nagaski, show that symptoms may persist for up to 10 years and may also have an increased long-term risk for leukemia and lymphoma.

**(5) Heart**
Intense exposure to radioactive material would do immediate damage to small blood vessels and probably cause heart failure and death directly.

**(6) Gastrointestinal Tract**
Radiation damage to the intestinal tract lining will cause nausea, bloody vomiting and diarrhea. The radiation will begin to destroy the cells in the body that divide rapidly. These including blood, GI tract, reproductive and hair cells, and harms their DNA and RNA of surviving cells.

**(7) Reproductive Tract**
Because reproductive tract cells divide rapidly, these areas of the body can be damaged easily. Long-term, some radiation sickness victims will become sterile.

Sites used for information above:
 * 1) []
 * 2) []

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