After researching benefits and downfalls of nuclear power plants, I have come to a conclusion that we should block the plan to build a nuclear power plant in Enola, Pennsylvania. While researching nuclear power plants, I found more disadvantages than advantages. Many power plants have one event that causes another event, and another, each event a product of the one before, and a cause of the one after. This is called a chain reaction. Nuclear power plants are power plants that use Uranium 235 that undergo fission, to release the energy inside the nucleus of an atom. Fission is the process of separating the nucleus of an atom. Once one atom is split, it creates a chain reaction that makes most of the other atoms split. This makes the Uranium
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For instance, it takes lots of money to construct and buy proper equipment to contain radiation in the power plant, and throughout the procedures. At nuclear power plants, the Uranium releases radiation that must be contained in the core. The equipment used to contain the radiation can only be used for a limited amount of time before it has to be replaced for safety reasons. Each time it needs to be replaced, there is a new cost to replace it. This material that is being replaced can also not be used for anything else, or recycled because it has been exposed to radiation, and is radioactive. This is called half life. Half life is the time taken for radioactive material to fall to half of it’s original value. The half life of radioactive materials could be from 200-500 thousand years. The Uranium 235 also it expensive to mine and transport to power plants. Health risks that can arise from nuclear power plants would be times such as when radiation is released out of the power plant. This could happen as the result of a meltdown (when the Uranium 235 melts through the core). When exposed to radiation, it highers possibilities of different types of cancer. It can also pollute water supplies so that they cannot be used for hundreds of …show more content…
For instance, someone supporting the building of the power plant may include the fact that they do not emit pollution to the environment, or are a source of zero emission energy. While this is true, and they only emit steam, they do leave us with lots of radioactive material that has to be properly stored, and will never have any other uses. They also may say that the power plant would create jobs, but so would any other type of usage for the area they are using to build the power plant. A good thing about nuclear energy is that it is very efficient and inexpensive. Nuclear power plants use Uranium 235 to produce electricity, and Uranium 235 is not a renewable resource. Although a nuclear power plant would be efficient now, once we run out of u235, there would be no use for the powerplant. Why would we invest money in something that is only going to work for a limited time? Instead, we should invest in a renewable source of energy, such as wind turbines, solar panels, or dams in
For instance, it takes lots of money to construct and buy proper equipment to contain radiation in the power plant, and throughout the procedures. At nuclear power plants, the Uranium releases radiation that must be contained in the core. The equipment used to contain the radiation can only be used for a limited amount of time before it has to be replaced for safety reasons. Each time it needs to be replaced, there is a new cost to replace it. This material that is being replaced can also not be used for anything else, or recycled because it has been exposed to radiation, and is radioactive. This is called half life. Half life is the time taken for radioactive material to fall to half of it’s original value. The half life of radioactive materials could be from 200-500 thousand years. The Uranium 235 also it expensive to mine and transport to power plants. Health risks that can arise from nuclear power plants would be times such as when radiation is released out of the power plant. This could happen as the result of a meltdown (when the Uranium 235 melts through the core). When exposed to radiation, it highers possibilities of different types of cancer. It can also pollute water supplies so that they cannot be used for hundreds of …show more content…
For instance, someone supporting the building of the power plant may include the fact that they do not emit pollution to the environment, or are a source of zero emission energy. While this is true, and they only emit steam, they do leave us with lots of radioactive material that has to be properly stored, and will never have any other uses. They also may say that the power plant would create jobs, but so would any other type of usage for the area they are using to build the power plant. A good thing about nuclear energy is that it is very efficient and inexpensive. Nuclear power plants use Uranium 235 to produce electricity, and Uranium 235 is not a renewable resource. Although a nuclear power plant would be efficient now, once we run out of u235, there would be no use for the powerplant. Why would we invest money in something that is only going to work for a limited time? Instead, we should invest in a renewable source of energy, such as wind turbines, solar panels, or dams in