why does the media do it?

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by frownonfun

So because there hasn't been a major nuclear catastrophe yet we shouldn't worry about it? We should wait until something bad finally does happen? The potential threat is greater for nuclear power plants than wind energy. That's just the bottom line. You can't in anyway dispute that.

But I agree the media shouldn't be whipping up fear over nuclear power plants here in the states just because of what's going on in japan. They should be doing it all the time. Sorry but you don't fuck around with radiation. Nothing bad has happened here in the states yet. But why wait until it does?

Also when someone dies working at a wind farm it's most likely a worker. That is unfortunate and terrible, it really is, but that's the most it's ever going to affect. The only people put in any real danger are the people who are directly engaged in the maintenance of a wind farm. When we are talking nuclear it impacts everyone around the facility. Not just the workers at a plant. People who don't have shit to do with the plant can still become victim to it's malfunction.

The fact that people are so cavalier about NUCLEAR energy really blows my mind. These plants are just going to get older and older. So talk your crap now but our kids may not have the luxury of being so brazen about it. Time just isn't on our side in this case.

EDIT: also i'm really not trying to be a jerk about this. and though i quoted you Kal-El, i'm not directing all this entirely at you. just feel pretty strongly about the subject is all. so i apologize if i come off a little, uh, snippy.

Totally understand your argument. I didn't mean to suggest there is no danger in nuclear energy. It would be foolish to suggest that.

Still. the worst nuclear disaster in history, Chernobyl, killed 30 people. A shame, but not at all catastrophic.

"The initial explosion resulted in the death of two workers. 28 of the firemen and emergency clean-up workers died in the first three months after the explosion from Acute Radiation Sickness and one of cardiac arrest."

And Chernobyl didn't have nearly the safe guards that today's plants have. It didn't have a containment system and deaths were still minimal.

Of course, lingering radiation created some health issues and cancers but wasn't considered extreme.

In contrast, 115 people die each day in car accidents in the US alone (and we have the most stringent safety standards).


The thing is, is that creating energy will always have some type of drawback. No matter how clean or safe they are considered to be. If we are not prepared to take those small risks, we may as well revert back to being cave men. Forget even just flipping that light switch.