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Nuclear power plants and environmental problems associated with their operation

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Since the late 1960s boom in nuclear energy begins. At this time there was two illusions associated with nuclear power. It was believed that power nuclear reactors are safe enough, and tracking and control, protective shields and trained personnel to ensure trouble-free operation, and it was believed that nuclear power is "clean" because reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the replacement of power plants running on fossil fuels.
The illusion of safety of nuclear power was destroyed after several major accidents in the UK, USA and the USSR, the apotheosis of which was a disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The disaster at Chernobyl has shown that the loss in an accident at a nuclear power reactor is several orders higher than the loss in an accident at the power plant of the same capacity that uses fossil fuels. At the epicenter of the accident level of contamination was so high that the population of some districts had to be evacuated, and the soil, surface water, vegetation cover were radioactively contaminated for many decades. At the same time on the Chernobyl release much remains unknown, and the risk to public health from the accidental release of nuclear power significantly understated because in most countries of the CIS is not good medical statistics. U.S. A number of investigators found that from May to August 1986, there was a significant increase in the total number of deaths among the population, high infant mortality, as well as reduced fertility, it is possible associated with a high concentration of radioactive iodine-131 from the Chernobyl cloud, swept the United States.
During the four summer months has increased the number of deaths from pneumonia, different types of infectious diseases, AIDS, compared with the average number of deaths during this period in 1983-85. All this is highly statistically significant likely due to the defeat of the immune system of Chernobyl releases.
The same is not accurate statistics for most other countries, except Germany. In southern Germany, where Chernobyl fallout was particularly severe, the infant mortality rate has increased by 35%.
However, the danger of nuclear power lies not only in emergencies and disasters. Even without them, about 250 radioactive isotopes into the environment as a result of the operation of nuclear reactors. These radioactive particles together with water, dust, food and air enter the body of humans, animals, causing cancer, birth defects, reduced immune system and increase the overall incidence of people living around nuclear facilities.
Department of Public Health in Massachusetts in 1990 found that people living and working in the area of ​​nuclear dvadtsatimilnoy "Pilgrim", near the town of Plymouth, 4-fold higher incidence of leukemia than expected. A statistically significant increased incidence of leukemia and cancer found in the vicinity of nuclear power plants, "Trojans" in Portland, Oregon. The incidence of leukemia of children in the village near the British Nuclear Centre at Sellafield is 10 times higher than the national average, and is undoubtedly related to his work. It became known in 1990, and has recently officially confirmed by the British Board of Radiology.

 

 


Even when the plant is operating normally, she will throw a fair amount of radioactive isotopes of noble gases. As well as radioactive iodine concentrates in the thyroid gland, causing its defeat, radioisotopes of inert gases in the 70s were considered harmless to all living things, are accumulated in certain cell structures of

plant chloroplasts, mitochondria and cell membranes. After establishing this fact is the word "inert" is always to use in quotes because, of course, they have a major impact on the life processes of plants.
Radioisotopes "inert" gases, and produce such a phenomenon as the pillars of ionized air (candles) on the plant. These structures can be observed by ordinary radar at a distance of hundreds of kilometers from any nuclear power plant. Who can argue that all this does not affect the condition and quality of the environment along the migratory routes of birds and bats, the behavior of insects?
One of the primary emitted inert gas krypton-85 is a beta emitter. Already it is clear role in changing the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere. Number of krypton-85 in the atmosphere (mainly due to the NPP) increased by 5% per year. Already, the number of krypton-85 in the atmosphere millions of times (!) Is higher than before the atomic era. The gas in the atmosphere behaves as a greenhouse gas, thus contributing to the anthropogenic change of Earth's climate.
Not to mention the problem of another beta-emitter, formed during the normal operation of any plant, tritium or radioactive hydrogen. It is proved that it is easily associated with the protoplasm of living cells and builds up a thousandfold in the food chains. In addition, we must add tritium contamination of groundwater around all nuclear power plants almost. Nothing good comes from the substitution of water molecules in living organisms do not have to wait for tritium. When tritium decays (half-life of 12.3 years), it is converted into helium, and emits a strong beta radiation. This transmutation is especially dangerous for living organisms because it can hit the genetic machinery of cells.
Another radioactive gas, do not pick up on filters and in large quantities produced by all nuclear power plants, carbon-14. There is reason to believe that the accumulation of carbon-14 in the atmosphere leads to a sharp slowdown in the growth of trees. Such inexplicable slowing the growth of trees, to enter into a number of foresters, observed almost everywhere on Earth. Now in the atmosphere of carbon-14 increased by 25% compared to before the atomic era.
But the main danger of the nuclear power plant workers - plutonium contamination of the biosphere. On Earth, it was no more than 50 kg of super-toxic element prior to its production of a man in 1941. Now global pollution plutonium takes catastrophic dimensions: nuclear reactors of the world have made many hundreds of tons of plutonium - the number more than sufficient for all the fatal poisoning of people living on the planet. Plutonium is highly volatile: it is necessary to carry the sample through the room as permissible content of plutonium in the air would be exceeded. He has a low melting point - only 640 degrees Celsius. It is capable of spontaneous combustion in the presence of oxygen.
Usually when people talk about radiation contamination, mean gamma-ray emission, easily collected on Geiger counters and dosimeters based on them. At the same time, there are a lot of beta-emitters (carbon-14, krypton-85, strontium-90, iodine-129 and 130). Existing instruments, they measured the mass is not enough reliable. Even more difficult to quickly and reliably determine the content of plutonium, so if the dosimeter does not click, it does not mean radiation safety, it only indicates that there is no dangerous levels of gamma radiation.

 


Finally, the major cause of environmental hazards of nuclear energy and nuclear industry in general is the problem of radioactive waste, which still remains unsolved. In the 424 civilian nuclear power reactors operating around the world each year, a large number of low-, medium-and high-level waste. This issue of waste directly adjoins the problem of deriving exhausted its resources reactors. Radioactive contamination is accompanied by all parts of a complex economy of nuclear power: the mining and processing of uranium, nuclear power plant operation, storage, and regeneration of the fuel. This makes nuclear power an environmentally hopelessly dirty. With each decade of opening up new risks associated with operating nuclear power plants. There is every reason to believe that will continue to identify new evidence about the dangers posed by nuclear power plants.

 




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