Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy was discovered in the process of creating the atomic bomb. After scientists conducted more experiments, they found diat nuclear power was a clean and efficient way to produce energy. "The first nuclear reactor was created on December 2, 1942, at the University of Chicago by Enrico Fermi. The discovery of nuclear energy provided a new source of energy and an alternative to the use of natural resources: such as coal, oil, water, and wood. At the same time, nuclear energy' could be used in a destructive way, such as the atomic bomb.

At that time, the discovery of a new source of energy was a very significant event. By using a small amount of plutonium and uranium, two radioactive elements, an enormous amount of energy could be obtained. Nuclear energy can be produced in two different ways, by the fission or fusion process. Fission involves the breaking up of heavier atoms into lighter atoms. In a nuclear fission reaction, two smaller nuclei of approximately equal mass are formed from the splitting of a large nucleus. This splitting of an atom produces a large amount of energy. This process is the most common form of nuclear power.

As time went on, the attitudes of people towards nuclear energy changed. There were many positive and negative aspects for the use of nuclear power. Recently, people worldwide have started questioning the continued use of nuclear power. Due to the deaths resulting from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident, as well as the adverse effect the aftermath of the accident had on the environment, there has been a public outcry concerning the safety of society. As with many controversial issues, this topic has been widely debated, but a solution has not been determined.

The most significant drawback on this controversial issue is the threat of a disaster. The two most serious situations were the accident at Chernobyl and the explosion of the hydrogen bomb on Hiroshima. The first time dial people discovered the dangers of nuclear power was when the atomic bomb was dropped, August 6, 1945, on Hiroshima. The effects of the bomb was that it destroyed 4.7 square miles of the city. Approximately 70,000 people were killed and about another 70,0000 people were injured. Many people died later as a result of nuclear radiation and radiation sickness. The most serious nuclear disaster was the Chernobyl accident that occurred April 26, 1986 in the Soviet Union. An accurate number of deaths as a result of this accident is very hard to determine due to the secrecy of the U.S.S.R. surrounding this accident. A study done by a team of scientists from both the United States and Japan has shown that there has not been any evidence found of genetic mutation, which are changes in heredity, in the children of the survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima.

Following the Chernobyl accident, Soviet scientists suggest that there is evidence that radiation has exhibited genetic mutation in the parents who were exposed to radiation. According to them, the mutation was found in sperm and egg cells, which contain the genetic building blocks of future generations. The child's DNA is a combination from both parents' genetic makeup. When there is any sequence that the child has, but that sequence was not found in either parent, then this is called germline mutation. Ten years after die accident that occurred at Chernobyl, evidence of mutation, in the exposed areas of the country, indicates that radiation changed genetic makeup and that this has passed onto future generations. Also, there has been an explosive increase in childhood thyroid cancer in Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation since 1986. This cancer is present in brothers and sisters of the same family, which indicates that the cancer is a result of the accident at Chernobyl.

The use of radiation has many positive attributes, but at the same time, the significance of the drawbacks are overwhelming. No government nor scientist can guarantee the safety of nuclear plants. Without this guarantee, there is an immediate concern for the welfare of the world.

In the last decade, public concern for the use of nuclear energy has increased dramatically. Few can debate that nuclear energy is clean, and can be produced without using hardly any natural resources. Likewise, few can debate that radiation is harmful to the environment, unsafe, and a great danger for all living things. Scientists and mankind have to weigh the positive as well as the negative aspects of nuclear radiation, and then decide what source of energy the future holds that will benefit not only all living things, but also the environment.