Environmental risks of power generation from fossil fuels and nuclear facilities

D. Probert and C. Tarrant

Applied Energy, 1989, vol. 32, issue 3, 206 pages

Abstract: The nuclear power industry, when considered via statistical arguments, is far less dangerous than the average [`]man in the street' in the UK perceives it to be. To support this assertion, an elementary analysis of the risk factors associated with commonplace hazards (e.g. road accidents and smoking) is presented. The radiological risks resulting from the Chernobyl nuclear power station accident, even in the most badly affected areas of the UK and at the times of highest intensity, were much less than those due to natural background radiation. Radioactive elements occur naturally in coal and are released as a result of combustion into the UK environment via flue gases and ash in significantly greater amounts than those from nuclear power stations.

Date: 1989
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