The Negative Effects of Nuclear Energy :: Nuclear Energy Negative Essays

In 1950, the first commercial atomic indexplants were constructed. The public was promiseda non-polluting and resourceful type of vigor, excepthow untroubled was, and is, atomic energy? Althoughthere are less than 500 pass nuclear male monarchplants in the world, many another(prenominal) nuclear accidents havealready been endangering civilian lives. Moreserious accidents are not just likely, but inevitable(Fairchild 29). Nuclear energy may appear to bethe nonpareil source of energy for the future however,there are many controvert effects of nuclear energythat can lead to very precarious situations.Energy has always been among the basic manconcerns, along with food and shelter. It takes break d experience in all activities, from walking to the operationof even the more or less perplex equipment. Mankindhas been faced with the challenge of meeting itsenergy needs without risking human health and theenvironment. The many types of energy are mechanical, thermal,chemical, e lectrical, radiant, and atomic (MicrosoftEncarta). In 1987, anoint supplied 32% of the energyworldwide. Coal was next in line with 26%, thennatural gas with 17%, biomass 15%, and nuclearenergy with only 4% (Galperin 19). With the mainsources of our energy running low, nations look to impudent sources to provide our society with power.Nuclear energy, the newest type of energy, wasresearched to see if it would be the mostpromising type of energy for the future. Surprisingly, nuclear energy was discovered byaccident. In 1896, the French scientist, AntoineHenri Becquerel, conducted an experiment withuranium salts and found that these salts gave offtheir own light when exposed to sunlight. Marieand Pierre Curie were fascinated by thepossibilities of Becquerels rays. The Curiesdiscovered exactly what the rays were and thennamed the phenomenon radioactivity (Halacy 6). During World War II, many scientists from aroundthe world came to the United States to work onnuclear nuclear reactors an d weapons. With practicallysuccess, they continued after World War II andconcentrated more on nuclear energy. Thescientists instantly saw that nuclear energy wouldbe a great source of power because of the amountof power it released. separate an amount ofuranium equal to one penny would produce asmuch energy as seven and a half tons of coal(Lilienthal 85). A nuclear power plant is where energy is createwhen nuclear fission or fusion takes place. So far,however, only the power of fission has beencontrolled and used for energy. There are manyparts of the nuclear power plant, including thereactor, generator, control room, cooling systems,and the electrical, air, and water lines. The heart ofthe nuclear power plant is its reactor core, whichcontains a few hundred fuel assemblies. Thereactor core is encased in a pressured steel tank