Opinion

At Ease With Nuclear Power

By SCOTT T. HARDS

Since the accident last year at Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan's press have carried countless reports about the nuclear catastrophe and the health concerns of local residents. The opinions of many seem to center on the notion that perhaps nuclear power should be abandoned completely. This is an idea that Germany has recently adopted, although no actual plant closing has taken place there.

Frankly, I think the abandonment of nuclear power is one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. My reason is simple: Nuclear power is the safest and cleanest practical source of energy the world has ever used.

Look behind the scary headlines and science-fiction images of mushroom clouds and mutants: The number of deaths and injuries, and the harm to the environment, caused by nuclear power are a tiny fraction of those caused by the use of other energy sources like coal and oil.

Globally, thousands of coal workers have been killed in mining accidents. And many times more have had their health destroyed by the lung diseases caused by breathing coal dust. In addition, coal mines — especially strip mining — destroy the landscape, poisonground water and do other harm.

And of course, burning coal and oil for heat creates massive amounts of pollution, acid rain and other problems. Compared to this, nuclear energy is an angel, even when one considers the problems of waste disposal and handling.

What about other energy options such as hydroelectric, geothermal, solar or wind power? While such sources are indeed relatively clean and safe, the dams required for hydropower cause huge environmental chang es. And none of these sources is plentiful enough to supply all of the needs of modern society. I am not claiming that nuclear power is perfectly safe. It's not, and that's why safety rules and regulations must be obeyed. It was the reckless abandonment of established safety procedures at JCO that caused the Tokai accident in the first place, and the people responsible must be prosecuted.

But if these rules are carefully followed and enforced, no other power source is as safe, clean and renewable as nuclear energy. This is especially important for countries, like Japan, that have almost no domestic supplies of fossil fuels.

Look at France! That country has supplied nearly 80 percent of its power needs through nuclear energy for decades without any significant mishap. Belgium, Sweden and several other nations also safely supply about 50 percent of their power with uranium. Globally, 17 percent of the world's power comes from nuclear energy. Modern society is filled with necessary evils, or risks that must be taken. Every single day, on average 30 people are killed in traffic accidents around Japan. Cars and trucks generate tremendous pollution and noise. But nobody talks about abandoning cars or roads, do they? That's because ground transportation is a vital part of our lives.

And so is electricity. We cannot live without it, and that means that we have to take the risks necessary in generating it. If there is anything to be learned from the JCO accident, it is not that nuclear energy is too dangerous, but that Japan's supervision of its nuclear facilities was too lax. Used properly, the power of the atom can serve us safely for thousands of years to come.

Shukan ST: Jan. 28, 2000

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