Facts on Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy production

1. Uranium mining - here ‘Redon’ gas is by-product of uranium mining, it makes lung cancer – 50% of mining workers killed by lung cancer
2. Fuel Enrichment – waste from enrichment has been used in Depleted Uranium bombs used in Iraq
3. Power generation – here Plutonium is by product of after uranium usage, it emits radiation for next 50 years – 210 tonne in the earth
4. Waste disposal – need lot financial resource to dispose the waste

If there is no accident happened around above four stages even an area of 30 to 35 Km radius gets contaminated by nuclear radiation

Accidents at nuclear reactor (Chernobyl case study)

There has been a 2,400% increase in the rates of thyroid cancer in Belarus since 1986

Following the accident hundreds of thousands of people had to be evacuated and between 1990 and 1995 an additional 210,000 people were resettled.

50,000 people from Pripyat, Ukraine were evacuated 2 days after the accident.

Milk—Farmers have to watch the radiation level in milk.

Fish—cannot be eaten, as water absorbs radiation and fats concentrate it

Radioactive Floods every spring

People must change their clothes twice a day, and may not walk in the woods for more than two hours a month.

Radiation level charts are printed in the newspapers and dictate decisions such as whether children can be allowed out to play.

People are told to wash food at least five times in clean water, but nobody is told where this clean water is to be found.

Cattle are not supposed to graze in areas where the grass is less than 10cm high so their mouths will not touch the earth.

Most people find it impossible to follow these nearly impossible instructions, so they simply give up trying.

There are also housing shortages in Belarus and the rest of the ex-Soviet Union. This is a problem because people have a hard time moving out of the contaminated zone, since there are no other places to live

There are GHG from our traditional energy production such as thermal and hydro power generation, but we have other options to meet our energy need not the greed.

Why nuclear power promoting in India

1. Current energy policies are designed to benefit of foreign multinational companies such as General Electric’s, Westinghouse and Areva – almost $ 40 billion

2. Commission for politicians, planners and scientist (Investment at the 9900 MW at Jaitapur nuclear power plant is one lakh crore)

India can save 30-40% of its electricity deficit by simple conservation techniques

1. Improving the efficiency of existing power plants

2. Decentralizing electricity generation to reduce long distance transmission loss

3. Improve or promote the efficiency of power saving equipments (CFL bulbs)

Box item lines

1. USA is the largest producer of wind power – why America is not promoting nuclear power and they are interested in alternative

2. Solar energy has the potential to feed earth 1000 times – why India not working

3. Solar water heater in Bangalore saves 900MW of peak load already – just one example