Key Messages
The History of Nuclear Power: Exploring Decades of Development and Why We Shouldn’t Fear the Future
If we’re to understand the promise — and hazards — of nuclear power, it’s necessary to look at how our past mistakes can inform our future.
After Japanese coastal nuclear power plant Fukushima 1 experienced a catastrophic meltdown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel changed her view of nuclear power from positive to one of distrust almost overnight.
It is clear that such accidents are rare, but when they happen their impact is dramatic — often enough to irrevocably change public opinion on the viability of using atomic energy as an alternative green source.
Fortunately, we have gained knowledge in the history and development of nuclear energy which can help ensure that these types of disasters are less likely in the future.
For example, exploring the 10 years leading up to Fukushima’sreactors’ fate reveals how human error played such a big part in Chernobyl’s meltdown.
Plus, by understanding that 300 years — not just 30,000 — could be considered a more reasonable timeline for safe disposal of radioactive waste will make us more confident about harnessing this promising form of energy.
The Dark Power of Radiation: How a Breakthrough Discovery Led to Health Risks and Tragic Consequences
The discovery of radiation and radioactive elements was both exciting and deadly.
Nikola Tesla accidently discovered radiation in the late nineteenth century which Wilhelm Rontgen researched further and published a paper on in 1896.
This sparked excitement among scientists around the world as they were eager to learn more about this new phenomenon.
Marie and Pierre Curie went on to discover a radioactive element that they named radium.
Unfortunately, at the same time there was an underlying darkness – people did not yet know how dangerous radiation could be.
Unfortunately, pioneers of radiation research suffered from the negative effects of radiation like poor health after exposure to it times including Tesla and Edison’s assistant who died due to overexposure.
After that, X-ray machines became a commonly used tool with careless technicians exposed on a daily basis who would eventually suffer from leukemia or cataracts due to lack of protection by medical professionals when using new methods–there are much stricter safety protocols now for those exposed frequently today despite its health risks which still offer medical applications as radium therapy is one of the few treatments against cancer; but many companies tried cashing in on these “healing powers” regardless leading up tragedies such as William Bailey’s tonic, Radithor, causing people consuming large amounts such as Eben McBurney Byers’ lead weakening bones so much his jaw will nearly deteriorated that changed public perspective of radiation – generating fear within modern society including nuclear bombs ultimately explored later on down the road…
The Tragic Price Payed for Testing the Power of Nuclear Weapons During World War II
Research for the nuclear bomb during World War II was essentially a massive experiment with unknown consequences.
Both sides were racing to build a bomb, and the US was first to succeed.
However, the scientists involved weren’t fully aware of just how much destruction this new weapon would cause.
For example, in both the United States and Germany, fatal accidents occurred during the race for an atomic bomb.
In America, two scientists were exposed to fatal amounts of radiation due to inadequate safety measures.
In Germany, a laboratory caught fire during attempts to induce a nuclear reaction during testing, killing several people in the process.
When the US dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, everyone was shocked by its power—everything flammable within 12 miles of its epicenter went up in flames.
While scientists had some idea about what radiation could do, they underestimated just how much thermal energy would be released from the explosion.
This insubstantial knowledge ultimately resulted in 83,000 Japanese people dying from radiation-induced cancer many years later.
Design Can Help Avoid Catastrophe: Lessons Learned from Accidents Involving Nuclear Bombs
It may come as a surprise, but accidents involving nuclear weapons occur more frequently during military exercises than you’d think.
In fact, 65 incidents with nuclear bombs belonging to the United States have been documented to date.
For example, there have unfortunately been cases of airplanes carrying nuclear weapons dropping these bombs unintentionally, or planes with nuclear armaments crashing while in flight.
The US military initially tried to keep these incidents secret, though eventually they were revealed to the public.
Often, these catastrophic events were triggered by simple acts of human error.
Just one misstep can set off an immense and potentially dangerous chain reaction.
These include a military crew dropping a bomb on a civilian house – luckily not causing any deaths – and another notable incident being an ill-fated B-52 bomber crash in Southern Greenland.
The Chernobyl Disaster: How Eroding Safety Protocols, Politics and Technology Flawed the Nuclear Dream
The Chernobyl disaster is a stark reminder of the potential consequences of poor nuclear power plant design and human error.
It all began with a routine safety operation which was overseen by chief physicist Anatoly Dyatlov, who lacked an advanced understanding of nuclear physics.
His instructions to override emergency procedures only made the meltdown worse and set in motion a catastrophic chain reaction that could not be contained.
The nuclear plant itself was plagued with outdated technology, most of which had already been abandoned in Western countries.
Due to the Soviet Union’s secrecy, not only were citizens kept in the dark about this momentous event but they did not have access to modern technological help from experts abroad.
This gap in knowledge likely contributed to the severe radiation damage sustained by Europeans living near Chernobyl due to airborne contamination.
The Inevitability of Disaster at Fukushima 1: Ignoring Warnings, Poor Preparations, and Human Error
When it comes to the Fukushima plant, disaster was almost certainly unavoidable considering its location.
Despite Japan’s Pacific coast being known for having plenty of large earthquakes, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company still decided to open two nuclear power plants in that area – Fukushima 1 and 2.
It was only a matter of time before something bad happened, since scientists had already raised serious concerns about an impending quake in the area.
Furthermore, no effort was made to improve a coastal wall around the plants sufficient enough to protect them from tsunamis which could follow such an earthquake.
The planned breakwater was only designed to fend off waves up to 18.7 feet high yet the ones which followed the 9.0 magnitude quake were 46 feet in height!
Moreover, both plants were outdated when it came to technology; Fukushima 1 built during the 70s while Fukushima 2 having been created in the 80s meant there wasn’t any latest technological upgrades that could have helped avoid a meltdown in such an unfortunate situation.
Of course, not even superior equipment would be able to protect against human error where a certain operator seemed compelled interfere with a computerized safety mechanism.
This all culminated in an inevitability which made events like these much worse than they had any right to be beyond what nature can do on its own.
The Dominance of Admiral Hyman Rickover’s Nuclear Submarine Design for Civil Industry Applications
It will take time and money to envision a new future for nuclear power plant design.
Admiral Hyman Rickover’s small-scale power plant, designed for US Navy submarines in the 1950s, is what eventually came to dominate the civil nuclear industry.
This was due to itsefficiency as well as its robustness, born from being designed within restrictive submarine conditions.
However, there have been other designs proposed over the years that could potentially revolutionize nuclear power and make it safe.
One such example is the direct contact reactor (DCR).
Its fuel was molten plutonium, allowing it to be highly efficient.
Unfortunately, a mockup of the DCR at Los Alamos was never realized due to budget cuts.
Likewise, engineers experimented with a molten salt reactor using thorium — a radioactive metal that is more stable than uranium or plutonium — but this project ran for only four years before also being abandoned.
Clearly there are alternatives out there that could revolutionize our understanding of how nuclear energy should be produced safely and efficiently.
But in order for these ideas to come into fruition, significant investment and support is needed for research into alternative methods so we can bring about a brighter future for nuclear power plants worldwide.
Wrap Up
Atomic Accidents offers readers an important Conclusion: Nuclear power can be volatile, and serious tragedies have resulted from mistakes in the past.
However, by studying these accidents and learning from our historical mistakes, we can reduce the likelihood of future disasters.
Even still, engineers strive to find ways to use nuclear power for the betterment of society without causing irreparable damage; this is a goal worth striving for.
Atomic Accidents highlights the dangers of nuclear energy so that individuals can become better informed and motivated to work towards safe alternative sources of energy.
