Nuclear Power Essay

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Running Head: Literature Review Over the past 60 years the use of nuclear fission as a source of power has been debated over and over. In the beginning stages the people were opposed to the use of nuclear power because they were afraid of the government or military regulating the nuclear industry. A fear of the unknown is also to blame. What was this new process? Will it work? These concerns quickly went by the wayside and the government began to regulate the industry due to the fact that nuclear fission produces byproducts that can be turned into nuclear weapons. These fears of nuclear power eventually turned into nightmares when a few nuclear accidents occurred in the1970’s and 1980’s. In Powergrid International the author Davis (2011) states that “When looking at the future of nuclear power it is important to avoid doing so only through the lens of past accidents. While there are important lessons to be learned from such events these do not come close to representing the nuclear industry as a whole” (p.7). The different accidents that have happened over these past 60 years have shed a bad light on the industry and the public needs to be educated that these accidents are just that, an accident. Accidents happen in all industries but they do not all get the spotlight shined on them like that of nuclear power. How many coal miners die in the mines each year? What about the people killed in oil or natural gas fields? These accidents are lucky to make the evening news let alone get national spotlight. It is easy to understand why the nuclear industry has a bad light shed on it but once the public understands the advantages of using nuclear power as a source of energy it will become the front runner in the race for cheaper energy solution. Ramana (2011) explains that, “The major challenge for the nuclear industry today is regaining trust. Once lost, trust is

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