Nuclear power is still a part of America's clean energy future, despite the unfolding events at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. Nuclear power is categorized as clean because it does not use fossil fuels for power generation and its output does not contribute to greenhouse gasses.
The uncertain outcome of the tragedy in Japan is sparking conversations about the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine and we are reminded that nuclear power is clean and safe as long as nothing goes wrong. When failure does occur the impact can be deadly and the environmental damage can last for decades.
According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an exclusion zone eighteen miles in radius around Chernobyl was closed off. 347,000 residents were permanently relocated. 137 workers suffered from acute radiation sickness; 28 of them eventually died. 5,000 cases of thyroid cancer from radioactive iodine have been recorded in the vicinity of Chernobyl as of 2006.
Today, approximately 20% of America's electricity is generated by nuclear power.
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