Criteria for risk acceptance: a health physicist's view. [Cost benefits of nuclear power]
A controversy over the safety of nuclear energy has grown in the U.S. since about 1970 and has now spread to near worldwide proportions. This controversy has been fueled by a variety of issues. Initially in the U.S. the most prominent issue concerned the degree of hazard of low-level radiation, in particular that associated with the nuclear fuel cycle. Since then, attention has shifted successively to the reliability of emergency core cooling systems, the longevity of nuclear wastes, the possible misuse of radioactivity by terrorists and the potential for diversion of nuclear-power-produced plutonium to weapons fabrication. Underlying each of these issues has been the implication that the employment of nuclear power will entail an unacceptable risk to the public. A reasonable perspective in this regard is a yearly risk of 1 x 10/sup -6/ compared to the level of natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornados. Following a satisfactory demonstration of the safety of nuclear energy, hopefully the nuclear argument could be terminated. Society could then move on to the real issues affecting energy, population and quality of life.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-02-0016
- OSTI ID:
- 7100342
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-22363; CONF-770409-8; TRN: 77-014684
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 4. congress of the International Radiation Protection Agency, Paris, France, 24 Apr 1977
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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POLICY AND ECONOMY
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
EARTHQUAKES
HEALTH HAZARDS
FLOODS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HURRICANES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
TORNADOES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SECURITY
DISASTERS
HAZARDS
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
POPULATIONS
POWER PLANTS
SEISMIC EVENTS
STORMS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WIND
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