Fukushima Aftermath/Public health impacts of nuclear power plants

Relative human exposure from nuclear vs. fossil fuels Relative radiation exposures Nuclear .004 Natural terrestrial radiation 240 Naturally occurring in human body (bones, etc.) 40 Japan and the Future of Nuclear Energy Japan and the Future of Nuclear Energy video conference Stanford University April 11, 2011 Burton Richter director emeritus SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Public health impacts The public health effects of a nuclear power plant are far less than that of coal, lignite, oil, gas and even photovoltaic. Public Health Impacts per TWh Kerwitt, et al GermanyRisk Analysis 18 4Japan and the Future of Nuclear Energy video conference Stanford University April 11, 2011 Burton Richter director emeritus SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Only wind power weighs in with lower numbers in terms of the parameters of years of life lost respiratory hospital admissions cerbrovascular hospital admissions (stroke) congestive heart failure and others. In terms of lost activity days, the comparisons were stark: 1303 for coal 12,248 for oil 1446 for gas 1977 for photovoltaic 314 nuclear. Similar results obtained for years of life lost References