Scientists debate human health risks of nuclear power
JUL 19, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026182
Science : In a study published online Tuesday in Energy and Environmental Science, John Ten Hoeve and Mark Jacobson of Stanford University estimate the worldwide health effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster . Using measurements of the radioactive nuclides released during the plant’s meltdown, a global atmospheric model of the radioactive fallout, and other data, they predicted about 130 future cancer deaths because of Fukushima. Their paper prompted Nobel Prizeâwinning physicist Burton Richter to write an opinion piece in which he considers the years of life that would have been lost due to the health effects of pollutants emitted by fossil fuelâburning power plants if Japan had relied on coal or gas instead of nuclear power. And more scientists are continuing to weigh in. As Dennis Normile concludes at the end of his Science article, “Stay tuned for round 2.”
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
