How do you people think of nuclear power?

[kartoos]

Is it bad or good?I mean what are pros and cons?

Just want to know everything interesting about nuclear power!

Updates

+1 y

I don't want google shot.I want your opinions!what do you think?

[moaterboat]

Nuclear power utilized nuclear fission, usually of uranium, though any fissionable element could work in theory. Nuclear fission is the splitting of an atom which releases the energy that was used to hold the atom together. In a nuclear reactor, this fission is sustained such that each fission event causes, on average, one more fission event as neutrons released during the fission smash into other atoms.

When nuclear reactor is in this state, it is said to be "critical". If each fission event causes less than one more fission, it is "sub-critical" and if the rate of fission is increasing, it is said to be "super-critical". It is analogous to maintaining speed, slowing down, or speeding up. A "critical" reactor is nothing to be afraid of, that simply means that it is in steady state and not changing.

This fission produces radiation, heat, and a wide variety of "fission product daughters" (the pieces of the broken atom) that have a varying amount of half-lives. The daughters remained trapped within the reactor core, the radiation is thoroughly blocked by shielding, and the heat is used to heat water.

This water does one of two things. If this is a BWR or Boiling water reactor, the water is heated to boiling, and the subsequent steam is used to turn turbines that are hooked up to electrical generators. The steam is then condensed and sent back into the core to absorb more heat.

However if this is a PWR or pressurized water reactor, the water is kept at a very high pressure so that it won't boil even though it is well above the normal boiling point of water. This superheated water then flows through a heat exchanger that transfers the heat to a completely separated supply of water which is at a much lower pressure. This second supply of water is boiled because the temperature is above the boiling point for the lower pressure. This steam is then used to turn turbines, then it is condensed and fed back into the system.

All this condensing of steam requires a means of continues cooling. That is why nuclear reactors are almost always built near water sources like rivers. The water pumped through condensers where it absorbs heat and is then returned to the river. It should be noted that this water is in no way affected by radiation or fission products, it is completely isolated from the reactor itself. In fact, the main environment concern this causes is the fact that it can cause a warm spot in the river, which can slightly effect the local eco-system.

Regarding the Pros and Cons, nuclear power is ridiculously safe. People can use scare tactics all they want, but the numbers don't lie, to date, the only deaths due to nuclear power in the U.S. were 3 military members killed in 1961 in an accident at an experimental reactor. Compare this to the hundreds of people die every year because of more conventional energy sources such as coal, natural gas, and oil.

[Guysensei]

well, take a look at what just happened in japan. that nuclear waste is going to be stuck in the water and that area for so long..

it creates an enormous amount of power but if anything leaks out or some natural catastrophe happens, they are terrible for the environment and that radiation doesn't die out for sometimes THOUSANDS of years...

[moaterboat]

The nuclear issue was blown way out of proportion in that whole disaster. 18,000 people died, none of them died from radiation exposure. However, I am sure that natural gas fires claimed some lives.

[Guysensei]

wow. many people died from the radiation who went to cleanup those areas. quit speaking out of your ass moron.

[moaterboat]

I don't know what to say other than you are completely wrong. There have been zero deaths due to radiation poisoning caused by the Fukushima meltdown. ZERO!

[Guysensei]

"Last month The World Bank estimated the cost of the nuclear crisis at $235bn (?144bn) - making it one of the world's most expensive disasters"

[Guysensei]

"Fukushima nuclear power plant has been closely scrutinised as reports flow in on the progress of the situation - Japan's nuclear board previously raised the nuclear alert level from four to five in the weeks following the disaster and the JAIF warned of products such as dairy and spinach being restricted for shipping. Explosions and reports of nuclear fuel rods melting at the power plant have meant progress on the situation has been closely followed as has the environmental effects with concern

[Guysensei]

with concerns for marine life and spreading radiation through seawater. There were also concerns over radioactive dirt found in a school playground in Fukushima."

[Guysensei]

radation does not cause death immediatiately you dumb f*** . it causes cancer and many other types of sickness over time. When people have been exposed to nuclear radiation, almost all of them developed cancer or some other type of sever sickness... its far from "overexaggerated" you retard.

[Guysensei]

heres a site for the retard on some examples of what radiation does to people : link

[moaterboat]

I could, if I wanted, write an in-depth essay that explains in great detail the dangers associated with radiation, while tearing apart your ill-informed arguments. Nuclear power and the associated radiation is something I know a great deal about. But you don't want to learn from an expert, you would rather spew ignorant nonsense. I am not going to waste my time trying to change a closed mind. You are simply not worth my time you ignorant luddite.

[Guysensei]

your just a retarded idiot who argues out of pride instead of any actual knowledge. Radiation has and always will be extremely dangerous to lifeforms. It caused cancer in almost ALL people that were nearby hiroshima. A nuclear power plant leak costing 238billion dollars in damages is "blown out of proportion" ? You are clearly the retard here from that statement alone. School children getting exposed to nuclear radiation is not a big deal! I'm a f***ing retard and my name is moaterboat!

[moaterboat]

Do you even understand what radiation is? It's everywhere. It comes from the sun, it comes from the ground, hell it even comes from kitty litter and bananas. It is part of nature and is only a concern in large doses. If the dose is large enough, it can cause radiation poisoning, which can be fatal. That means that when you said "radiation does not cause death immediately" you were absolutely wrong. The other concern is an increased chance of cancer, but this is not as great as you seem to think.

[moaterboat]

Also, it is completely wrong to say that almost all the people near Hiroshima got cancer. It is more like a quarter of a percent, which is not much above the world average. Furthermore, the radiation levels at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were several orders of magnitude greater than what was released by the accident. Many people died of radiation poisoning after the bombs, that means they received an acute dose of a MINIMUM of 5 sieverts, though it was probably much more.

[moaterboat]

Compare that to the highest dose rate recorded by the reactor workers, which was just over one millisievert/hr. That means the highest dose rate recorded in the accident is 1/5000 of the absolute minimum radiation dose at the bombed cities. If a 5 sievert dose causes only a small increase in cancer deaths, what will a mere one millisievert do? Not very much, especially considering the wind carried it out to sea. The facts are all there. You can't dispute them. You don't have a leg to stand on.

[moaterboat]

Just quit while you are behind, it is obvious that you are completely ignorant on the subject matter, whereas I am an honest-to-God, no-sh*t EXPERT on nuclear power.

[Guysensei]

omg you are so f***ing retarded its depressing.. "Ionizing radiation the kind that minerals, atom bombs and nuclear reactors emit does one main thing to the human body: it weakens and breaks up DNA, either damaging cells enough to kill them or causing them to mutate in ways that may eventually lead to cancer."

[Guysensei]

"In a typical year, a person might receive a total dose of two or three millisieverts from things like ambient radioactivity, plane flights and medical procedures. In the U.S. the annual exposure limit for nuclear plant workers is 0.05 sieverts per year. At or below these levels, the enzymes that repair DNA keep up with damage enough to keep the risk of cancer low. Above them, the body’s systems of repair can’t keep pace. 100 millisieverts a year is the threshold above which cancer risk starts "

[Guysensei]

to increase, according to the World Nuclear Association.

According to reports, radiation levels have fluctuated at Fukushima, rising at one reading to 400 millisieverts per hour. At that level, Dedon says, seven minutes would bring you to the U.S. yearly limit. Over an hour could be a lethal dose. The 400 millisieverts level was not a sustained measurement and levels continue to fluctuate much lower.

[Guysensei]

400 millisieverts, that is FOUR times the threshold of risk for creating cancer.. you are clearly the stupidest f*** to ever argue here.

[Guysensei]

link

[moaterboat]

No one was exposed to the 400 millisievert dose. Most likely it was recorded by dosimeters in uninhabited spaces of the reactor plant. Furthermore, as the article said, this was not a sustained dose, but rather a spike. The highest dose rate a worker experienced was just over one millisievert/hr, and anyone not in the plant would recieve doses hundreds, if not thousands of times smaller than that. Also, 100 millisievers doesn't give you cancer, that is simply the minimum amount that is needed to

[moaterboat]

affect your chances of developing cancer at some point in life. You continue to call me stupid, and say that I don't know what I am talking about. Meanwhile all you do is quote articles that you obviously don't even understand.

[moaterboat]

You know what, we are getting off track here. You can quote articles you don't understand until you are blue in the face. Nothing changes the fact that the meltdown has not killed a single person. 18,000 people died because of the earthquake, none of those were because of nuclear power. You can't argue with that one simple fact.

[Guysensei]

"When on August 2nd readings of 10,000 millisieverts (10 sieverts) of radioactivity per hour were detected at the plant, Japan's science ministry said that level of dose is fatal to humans, and is enough radiation to kill a person within one to two weeks after the exposure.

10,000 millisieverts (mSv) is the equivalent of approximately 100,000 chest x-rays.

It is an amount 250 per cent higher than levels recorded at the plant in March after it was heavily damaged by the earthquake and ensuing t

[Guysensei]

ensuing tsunami. " link

Your ignorance to this knows no bounds.. nuclear radiation is far from over-exaggerated. While extremely efficient for generating power, disasters like this clearly show how dangerous it can be.

[Guysensei]

"According to Dr Kodama, the total amount of radiation released over a period of more than five months from the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster is the equivalent to more than 29 "Hiroshima-type atomic bombs" and the amount of uranium released "is equivalent to 20" Hiroshima bombs"

[Guysensei]

"The BEIR VII estimates that each one mSv of radiation is associated with an increased risk of all forms of cancer other than leukemia of about 1-in-10,000; an increased risk of leukemia of about 1-in-100,000; and a 1-in-17,500 increased risk of cancer death."

[moaterboat]

The funny thing about all those quotes, is that if you actually understand the science, you see that it is indeed not that bad. But I am not going to try and impart years worth of my knowledge into your thick skull 500 characters at a time.

[Guysensei]

oh its not that bad.. not like 10000 is lethal within two weeks or anything! Drop your pride retard, its OK to be wrong.

[moaterboat]

If you think anyone is actually exposed to that 10000, you're an idiot. Of course, that has already been proven by your comments. You know the temperatures also reached dangerous levels, but because no one was nearby it isn't an issue.

[Guysensei]

you are such an ignorant idiot its amazing... link

watch this you stupid f***. obvioulsy japan is not gonna report deaths to the mass media because it makes them look bad, you've never heard of media censorship? F***you as.shole.

[Guysensei]

Nuclear engineer Gunderson says that the Japanese will suffer one million cancer deaths from Fukushima, and that we’ll see a statistically meaningful increase in cancer on the West Coast of America and Canada from Fukushima. Gundersen says that - after Japan - the most radioactive areas are the Cascades and Portland.

[Guysensei]

link

You are one of the dumbest fu.cks I've ever talked to.. denying such common sense. Chernobyl wasn't bad either right?

[Guysensei]

link

[moaterboat]

Chernobyl was actually pretty bad, but a completely different type of accident. First, the plant was at power, whereas they were shutdown in Japan, also Chernobyl was graphite moderated, whereas The Fukushima plants were water moderated. If you know anything about nuclear power, that might actually mean something to you, but since you are clueless, it is probably just empty words.

[moaterboat]

I'm not saying the meltdowns weren't bad. Of course they were. What I am trying to explain to you is that in a disaster that claimed 18000 lives, the release of some radioactive contamination that will cause some cancer several years or decades from now is comparatively, not a major deal. The media talked about nothing but the meltdown, which caused no deaths to date, and ignored the other 18000 deaths. They did it because idiots like you are afraid of nuclear power because you are clueless.

[Guysensei]

lol you f***ing idiot.. the effect is on infants and children, not adults. That radiation was released into the pacific ocean which will not die out for another 300 years.. not a big deal huh? Your an imbecile. Infants exposed to a much smaller dose of radiation are MUCH more affected because their immune systems aren't fully developed. You boast like a f***ing moron about how its not a big deal, so I guess you don't care about kids dying because idiotic adults think nuclear power is "not a big de

[Guysensei]

al". Goto that website and read, there are many deaths already being correlated to nothing other than the Fukushima disaster. You are so dumb that you believe radiation is good for people.. it causes an exponential increase in cancer, leukimia and other disorders you f***ing moron.

[Guysensei]

your retarded ass tried to say that the hiroshima survivors weren't that much above the "national level" ? Uhm. actually the standardized mortality rate was very high for even the low exposure survivors. 1.15 for the very low exposure , 1.61 for high exposre.. that is incredibly high. link

[moaterboat]

"The Hiroshima and Nagasaki tumour registries, which have been in operation since 1958, are among the few population-based cancer registries in Japan. This analysis evaluated cancer incidence in Hiroshima and Nagasaki between 1958 and 1987. The overall age-adjusted (World Population Standard) cancer incidence has increased from 217 to 301 per 100,000 among males, and from 176 to 197 per 100,000 among females during the first 30 years of cancer registration."

[moaterboat]

link

See, I can quote and link article too. The difference is mine is from a reputable medical source, whereas yours is just a paper written by four people with no recognizable credentials.

[Guysensei]

uhm no the 1.15 to 1.61 standardized mortality rate is public data you f***ing imbecile. You probably don't understand what those numbers even mean.

[Anonymous]

It has several safety cons, but it also has a major Pro, of no longer being dependent on oil, which means no longer paying out millions to backward theocracies so that they can spread primitive ideologies to the rest of the world. We no loner have to stick our greedy hands into their bullsh*t society and we can let them civilise themselves on their own terms, and if they don't it's not our problem because we're no longer funding their governments to protect our oil supply.

[kartoos]

Very political but true..i like it!

[moaterboat]

Unfortunately this is a common misconception. 98% of our oil use is for transportation. Until electric cars are common enough that a significant portion of our transportation energy comes from the electric grid, there is no reasonable way for nuclear power to replace oil.

[Opinion Owner]

It wasn't my misconception, I'm aware that it will take time to get free of the shackles of oil use, but I want to get moving in the right direction as soon as possible. I do love to drive by I hate funding scum bags.

[moaterboat]

Well I can't disagree with that.

[Elaine1]

Nuclear power is great for human beings expect for using it in the war! I hate war! It hurts innocent persons but just benefit to some persons who has the privilege. Wish unclear can be used the right way and protect us !

[Guysensei]

its not great, look at chernobyl and fukushima.. that radiation will f*** people up for hundreds of years...

[Anonymous]

Was your update directed at me? I didn't give you anything at all from Google but my opinion.?

[kartoos]

No ms anonymous I said that in general!

[Juker]

Nuclear power is the only, and best way to go. its clean, and effective. All we need to do is take the waste, put it in a secure container, and blast it into the abyss of outer space, and quess what? problem solved. Energy for everyone.

But only if our politicians had this much common sense.

[Juker]

but I am completely ignorant as to how nuclear power actually works. I just know that one of the ramifications was that we would be left with indespensible toxic waste.

[Confused614]

It's the best energy solution out there now. Sure it has its risks but the benefits of nuclear power far outweigh the cons. Those risks are pretty minimal anyway. The main issue is getting rid of the spent fuel rods because they last a long time.

[Guysensei]

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=Bdow_6pN6jY&feature=player_embedded#!

[moaterboat]

Ridiculous propaganda from people with an agenda. He is plugging his radio program and she is trying to sell her book. If 14000, died in the U.S. due to radiation, the death toll in Japan due to radiation would be several orders of magnitude higher, like thousands, if not tens of thousands times greater. The host mentions Iodine and Cesium reaching the U.S. For the most part, these have half-lives measured in days. The whole thing is a joke if you have enough scientific knowledge to see it.

[Guysensei]

moaterboat your the only one with an agenda, the mass media covers up the consequences to prevent people from panicking and your one of the retarded sheep to fall for it. Your so stupid and ignorant that I have trouble believing your serious. "Nuclear radiation only mutates and breaks down our cells permanently! I'm a retard named moaterboat!"

[Guysensei]

"Deadly battle: The Fukushima 50 expect to die within a matter of weeks as they work in dangerously high radiation trying to keep the temperatures of the destroyed reactors down at the nuclear plant, fresh images of which were released today

Read more: link

"

[Guysensei]

your retarded ass was trying to say no one died from it? F***ing dumb as hell. Idiots like you need to be sent there if you believe it doesn't affect ppl. I'd be so happy if you went there and got cancer and leukemia for the bullsh*t your saying here. Fu.ck you dipsh*t, kids and people dying is definitely a big deal.

[Guysensei]

"he total amount of iodine-131 and caesium-137 released into the atmosphere has been estimated to exceed 10% of the emissions from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster." DUR DUR DURR 10% more emissions than Chernobyl is not a big deal! We need cancer to evolve! My name is Moaterboat!

[Guysensei]

the reality of the matter is that idiots love to downplay things and pretend its not that big of a deal, because that's the easy way to live "ah f*** it, who cares! I'm an idiot American named moaterboat and its easier to ignore the problem than face it so ill just believe this idiot politician on tv's lies!"

[Guysensei]

for anyone that's not a complete moron and understands that governments cover sh*t like this up(as they always have in the past), read this link

[Guysensei]

"scientists affiliated with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the plant had released 15,000 terabecquerels of cancer-causing Cesium, equivalent to about 168 times the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the event that ushered in the nuclear age."

[moaterboat]

Hey look, more quotes that you don't even understand and more insults. The fact of the matter is that only one of us has actually worked with nuclear reactors, and that isn't you. So just defer to the experts on this one and stop drinking the kool-aid.

[Guysensei]

oh believe me I understand all these quotes, as does most people reading them. It doesn't take much to understand that releasing tons of cesium into the atmosphere is terrible for all life forms, that's just common sense. Your just adeluded idiot that likes to water down problems so you can easily ignore them instead of facing the grim reality. Fuc.k you

[moaterboat]

Ok I'm getting sick of dealing with someone with no firsthand knowledge that simply quotes articles from semi-reputable sources. You hear the word "radiation" and you sh*t your pants because you lack any scientific understanding of nuclear power. This argument should have ended once it was clear that I am the qualified nuclear plant operator, and you are the uninformed college student. 20 years will show that I am right, but by then you will probably have forgotten how stupid you sounded now.

[moaterboat]

I'm through with you. Like I said earlier, I could pick apart your argument piece by piece, but doing so requires me drawing on things that I have been learning since before you hit puberty. This is not the right place for me to try to impart my vast amounts of pertinent knowledge, and furthermore, it is obvious that you are not worth teaching. Say what you want, quote articles, post videos. I'm done with you. You are an ignorant alarmist fool with no concept of reality.

[Guysensei]

your completely full of sh*t and plainly retarded. 1.61 SMR.. you really can't understand that number can you? that means 61% MORE people died from cancer in the areas that were lightly exposed than in far away areas with no exposure. Does that number not clearly tell you how obviously dangerous even light exposure is? that was levels of less than 200mSv

[Guysensei]

also your whole "I could break your argument apparte IF I WANTED TO" is the equivalent of a 5 yo telling his friends he could do something risky IF HE WANTED TO. You've not explained one tiny ounce of understanding on the subject, other than what is easily common knowledge. Radiation levels, cesium being released into the atmosphere.. no one needs to be in a nuclear power plant to understand these common sense things. Obviously exposure to high levels of radiation damages ad mutates cells.

[Guysensei]

61% more cancer deaths in LIGHT exposure areas.. that is less han 200mSv. Your clearly f***ing a sheep who likes to believe in watered down political propoganda rather than looking at all the independent sources which have NO agenda. Why the f*** would an independent news source want to lie about the situation? What stupid bullsh*t are you gonna make up now? Geiger counters do not lie, but governments sure as f*** do.

[jayrex]

I suppose it works fine. Problems can be nature, like we saw in Japan. Health & safety can prevent a problem, but nature can destroy that.

[Anonymous]

It's great, but it's not a solution to the worlds energy needs as both uranium and thorium are in limited supply.

[Deft_maiden]

Evidently Afghanistan has a large supply of Uranium O:O

[kartoos]

That is the very reason Americans are there fighting in the name of terrorism!but the truth is they are after uranium and obviously gold!

[moaterboat]

For the cost of the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. could have just bought almost 4 million metric tons of Uranium. I don't think your theory holds much water.

[kartoos]

Were you refering to me?than you should tell me why is America fighting in Afganistan?why?why?

[moaterboat]

It sure as hell isn't for Uranium. Destroying what little infrastructure they had is not conducive to a massive mining operation.

But I will take your bait on this one. We went there originally because it was an Al-Qaeda Stronghold. We are still there now because the people in our government don't know how to fight a war.

[kartoos]

Haha Al Qaeda sh*t is funny..You guys went under operation and killed Osama bin Ladin in Pakistan ..You remember that?FYI America did and still is funding such terrorist activists..You can't win here cause I've family members in govt and I get a lot of info from them..

[moaterboat]

Family members in WHAT government? Qatar's? Hmm I smell a little bit of a bias here. Just admit you hate the U.S. and get over yourself.

[kartoos]

U.S govt unfortunately!

[Hyrule]

Good in my opinion. The danger lies in old facilities.

[Moloch]

Waste of time. It has a very long half-life, and we still don't know how to use it.

[jayzee]

It has some good effects and bad effects

it produces the largest amount of energy

but it is harmful for living things

so it is bad obviously

[6Paul11]

It's great. We should use more.

[Xx_DRE_xX]

Pretty effective if you ask me.