Nuclear Power

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how nuclear power is one of the most divisive issues in America today and how opponents of nuclear power have succeeded in convincing people to oppose the construction of new plants and to fight the relicensing of old plants. It puts forth some of the arguments from both sides to support their positions and looks at issues such as the question of safety and need for nuclear power plants and the of storing nuclear waste. It analyzes how proponents of nuclear power present convincing arguments for the continued and expanded uses of nuclear power in this country and how they claim that the objections raised by opponents lack validity and are contrary to the facts and our experience.

From the Paper:

"The opponents of nuclear power focus on the inherent lack of safety that they believe that the use of nuclear power entails. This includes both the dangers of radiation from nuclear power plants and the possibility of a catastrophic accident. First, the opponents say that radiation levels are higher in areas around nuclear power plants, and this leads to an increased number of deaths from cancer. They cite the case of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts that went online in 1988. Responding to the concerns of local residents, the state conducted a study which found that there were fifty percent more cancer cases in the five towns around the plant than there were in the rest of the state. The power company had said that people in the area would receive 400 times less radiation from the plant than they would from natural sources. Further studies showed that the risk of getting cancer was four times higher for people living within ten miles of the plant than for other parts of the state. "

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