nuclear-news

Remembering a nuclear disaster: it could happen again

“Nuclear is still a highly unsafe form of energy,” says Greenpeace’s Steve Campbell. “There’s still no solution to radioactive waste, and it remains a threat for millennia. However, we now have proven and reliable energy alternatives to take its place, such as wind solar and geothermal.”.

The worst eco-catastrophes of all time By John PickrellABC Environment | 15 Feb 2011“……..3. Worst nuclear accident: Chernobyl (1986) On 26 April 1986 the number four reactor at a power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded, vaporising 50 tonnes of radioactive material into the atmosphere. Monitoring stations in Norway, Finland and Sweden soon began to report a spike in radiation, but it would be another two days before the Soviet Union admitted the truth. A radioactive cloud spread across northern Europe and 135,000 people were later evacuated and resettled from the immediate surrounding area. Around 50 people were killed and it remains the only nuclear accident with direct radiation-related fatalities. Another 9,000 cancer deaths were predicted, but although thyroid cancers have been common, few have cases have resulted in death. Though it’s now possible to take tours to Chernobyl, a 30 km exclusion zone still exists around the site and it remains one of the most radioactive spots on Earth.

Similar accidents at nuclear power plants, though on much smaller scales, occurred at Windscale (fire) in England in 1957 and Three Mile Island (meltdown) in Pennsylvania, US in 1979.

“Nuclear is still a highly unsafe form of energy,” says Greenpeace’s Steve Campbell. “There’s still no solution to radioactive waste, and it remains a threat for millennia. However, we now have proven and reliable energy alternatives to take its place, such as wind solar and geothermal.”……..The worst eco-catastrophes of all time › Features (ABC Environment)

February 16, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | history, Ukraine