1b Uncontrolled Power of any Type is Dangerous

Fear is one of the most basic human emotions. It is programmed into the nervous system and works like an instinct. From the time we’re infants, we are equipped with the survival instincts necessary to respond with fear when we sense danger or feel unsafe….

People fear things or situations that make them feel unsafe or unsure. For instance, someone who isn’t a strong swimmer might have a fear of deep water. In this case, the fear is helpful because it cautions the person to stay safe. Someone could overcome this fear by learning how to swim safely.

A fear can be healthy if it cautions a person to stay safe around something that could be dangerous. But sometimes a fear is unnecessary and causes more caution than the situation calls for. (Words quoted from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/phobias.html.)

We also fear for those we love.  A mother’s fear for her children can be particularly strong.  This latter instinct has been utilised by anti-nuclear power campaigners very effectively.  Anti-nuclear campaigners are very genuine in their fears which I believe is based on emotional thinking.  Historically, there were good reasons for their fears, and I will address some of these reasons in future blogs.

A look at the early days of nuclear power show little regard for safety.  Indeed, safety played only a small part of life just after WW2 and into the 50s.  Nuclear bombs were tested. Nuclear proliferation was rife during the Cold War.  Nuclear power and nuclear bombs were linked in our minds.  This does not apply now.  The technologies are very different, the fuel used is very different. Nuclear power fuel uses slightly enriched uranium or is not enriched at all.  Nuclear weapons are very, very highly enriched and the fuel is technically difficult and horrendously expensive to produce.

In the 60s and 70s, our car broke down frequently, there were not even seat belts.  We cannot pretend those cars compare with our cars now.  New generation nuclear power plants are very different too. Indeed, safety was not considered in most areas of life in Australia.  As a young chemist, I remember many practices that would not be allowed today.

The recent floods in Australia illustrate this point. Anything can beneficial or harmful.  For example, we all know arsenic can kill but a couple of enzymes require arsenic as part of their structure. This probably even applies to nuclear radiation. It is rarely beneficial to have too much of a good thing. 

The rest of this presentation introduces some essential concepts of nuclear physics and chemistry – Nuclear 101 – and looks more deeply at fears we may have.

With this background you will be in a better position to make rational decisions about nuclear power.