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=Nuclear Power as an Alternative Source of Energy =  media type="youtube" key="cnjGYHOePu0?fs=1" height="385" width="480" The waste of nuclear reactors consists entirely of highly radioactive, spent fuel cells which are usually kept inside of the storage areas of the plants in which they are spent. The massive amounts of money that are spent on safety inside nuclear plants means that the rooms in which the spent cells are kept are highly fortified, otherwise, the Environmental Protection Agency would have shut down the plants many years ago. Over the years, much thought has been put into storing them in highly fortified, underground rooms. As of now, no plans to carry this out have moved beyond the planning phase.

In 2007, nuclear power was the third least used source of power in the United States, besides hydroelectric power and renewable power, at just 8% consumption. Coupled with the fact that nuclear power is the lowest pollution emitter out of coal, oil, petroleum (natural gases) and itself, we could lower harmful carbon pollution by a SUBSTANTIAL amount.

The possibility of a nuclear meltdown in any nuclear plant is nearly impossible. The first time that electricity was generated by a nuclear reactor was in 1951, and between then and now, only two disasters have ever occurred: the Chernobyl Disaster and the Three Mile Island Incident. Chernobyl occurred in Ukraine, which at the time was part of the Soviet Union. There was a large power surge during an unauthorized test which caused a part of the reactor to rupture, causing a massive explosion. Three Mile Island was the name of a nuclear plant located on an island south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. There was a cooling system malfunction which led to the release of a large amount of radioactive material into the atmosphere. However, this led to no deaths and an investigation found that there was little or no adverse affects from the accident. Chernobyl happened in 1986 and Three Mill Island in 1979, meaning that there has not been a single nuclear plant accident in twenty four years.

PROS: Nuclear power is one of the safest methods of producing energy. Between 10,000 and 50,000 people die each year from respiratory disease due to coal plants, and 300 in mining and transportation accidents. No Americans have died from reactor accidents. The estimated deaths of the worst nuclear reactor meltdown in history, the Chernobyl incident, were around 40-60 direct deaths. However, the projected deaths due to increased cancer risk from the radiation produced by the explosion, are around 4,000. This number is still substantially lower than the deaths that occur at coal plants EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

Over the years, the production cost of all froms of "fuel" have steadily increased. However, the cost of nuclear power has stayed relatively the same, even appearing to have fallen over the years, being the least expensive form of fuel.


 * Power Point*

Coal, gas and oil burning power plants are responsible for half of America's air pollution. Burning coal produces carbon dioxide and many other gases that, while not harmful in small amounts to the atmosphere, have damaged it, mostly starting during the Industrial Revolution. These gases deplete the ozone layer, a very important shield that protects us from the large amount of electromagnetic waves being produced by the sun.

CONS: Pollution produced by nuclear plants consists of a type of pollution called thermal pollution. Water is used to cool the procedure and the water is then released back into the environment. The water is not radioactive. However, due to it having been substantially heated, is now almost devoid of oxygen, harming fish and other aquatic animals. But, the thermal pollution produced by nuclear plants is equal to the production of thermal pollution by coal, oil, and natural gas plants that use cooling towers. Power plants are the number one producer of thermal pollution along side petroleum refineries, pulp and paper mills, chemical plants, steel mills and smelters.

People argue that the cost of nuclear power production is extremely high. Building a nuclear plant is an enormously expensive task. For instance, the nuclear reactor itself should be properly reinforced to prevent radiation leakage. The fuel rods, the coolant, the moderator and most of the other components are priced high. Regular maintenance costs should also be put in to keep the plant emission free. However, the cost of privately owned nuclear facilities falls squarely on the shoulders of the developer, and does not trickle down to individual citizens. Now, referring back to the production cost chart, since nuclear power costs the least amount of money to produce, the cost that citizens pay will be lower than any other form of energy, meaning that nuclear power will pay it's self off for the high price it costs to build the plant.