NO NEED TO FEAR NUCLEAR POWER

NO NEED FEARING NUCLEAR POWER

Some people are a bit skeptical of the idea that Kenya is planning to build its first nuclear plant by 2022 to boost its domestic energy consumption. In the last concluded 3^rd Conference on Nuclear Energy in Africa held in Kwale, a member of the Departmental Parliamentary Committee on Energy, Communication and Information Hon. Richard Tongi was quoted saying that Kenya is not yet ready to have nuclear power.

What are some of the things that makes many people fear nuclear power? According to a survey done by member of staff at Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board, majority of Kenyans do not understand the whole meaning of  generation of electricity using nuclear power. To some, using nuclear power means making of nuclear bomb and that means preparing for war. However, for a few educated elite groups, their arguments against nuclear energy   are based on its cancerous brought about by emissions of radioactive radiations from the nuclear power plant reactors. Others, base their arguments on the probability of nuclear reactors being a target for terrorist attack.

Generally, a nuclear reactor works by using the energy that is released when the nucleus of a heavy atom splits. That process is called fission. In reactors, fission occurs when uranium atoms are hit by slow-moving neutrons. Absorbing these excess neutrons sometimes causes the atoms to break apart. As the nucleus splits, it releases energy, in the form of heat. In a boiling water reactor, this heat becomes steam, which drives turbines to generate the electricity.

About the fear of cancerous effect, it is true that radiations released from nuclear reactors can cause cancer. As radioactive material decays, or breaks down, the energy released into the environment has two ways of harming a body that is exposed to it. It can directly kill cells, or it can cause mutations to DNA. If those mutations are not repaired, the cell may turn cancerous as said by Kathryn Higley, director of the Oregon State University department of nuclear engineering and radiation health physics.

Nonetheless radioactive emissions is short-lived and will be around for only about two months after an exposure, said Andre Bouville of the National Cancer Institute,  who has studied radiation doses from the fallout of the 1986 Chernobyl explosion in Ukraine. So, if the exposure to the air comes after that time, radioactive and more specifically iodine, does not pose a health risk, said Bouville. It also need a huge amount of radiation for it to cause a health risk. For example, no increase in cancer rates were observed after the release of radioactive from a power plant on Three Mile Island in USA in 1979.

Nuclear power plants routinely produce radioactive gases and liquid wastes during normal operations. A plant has tanks designed to store gas and liquid radioactive materials that are generated during normal operation. The radioactive elements are retained for occasionally before they are used for reaction to reduce the threat of emission of radioactive radiations. During normal operations, penetrating radiation emitted from the radioactive materials in the reactor and in the systems and buildings of the plant are not able to expose someone outside the boundary of the plant. Nevertheless, in any plant radiation monitors are placed on the fence line surrounding the site to directly measure any radiation leakages that might occur.

In countering the terror scare Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board, executive chair, Hon. Ochilo Ayacko, recently said that the plant reactors will be designed to withstand the impact of airplanes and bombs just not to mention the heavily armed security that will be guarding the various sites. This will happen after the new legislation passed by parliament that will oversee the board mandated with overseeing operations of the yet to be established nuclear power plant(s) such as safety, inspection of sites and issuing of licenses as well as cancellation.

Fukushima accident also had installed a lot of fear among many governments in starting of nuclear power plants towards generating of electricity.  Climate Change Scientist, James Hansen, says that the plant at Fukushima was built to withstand only a 3 meter Tsunami using the old technology that proved to be disastrous. However with the current new technology, in case of tsunami or earthquake occurrence, the plant can easily shut down itself and cool down without power, says Hansen. In the case of Fukushima the reactors could not cool down without the power. This means therefore there are very minimal risk if any associated with nuclear power compared to advantages that are more than enough.