Nuclear Power Industry
How do you use electrical power? Electricity is used for transportation, lighting, heating, cooling, cooking, cleaning, entertainment, and more... So where does all this electricity come from? Raw materials like coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear fuel and others are used to transform one type of energy into electric power. Check out this site to see how nuclear fuel sources are transformed into electricity by Nuclear Fission.
Did you know that over 3 million Americans live with-in 10 miles of Nuclear Power Plants? You may wonder, "Is that safe?" Well, in fact it is… Nuclear Power Generation is one of the safest ways to generate electricity. The American Nuclear power industry is held to the highest standards, follows strict protocols and is under observation at all times by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC). The NRC's mission is to license and regulate the Nation's civilian use of nuclear materials to protect the public health and safety, promote the common defense and security, and protect the environment.
Not only is Nuclear Power Generation safe, but it also clean! There are very little greenhouse gas emissions from a Nuclear power plant. The World Nuclear Association has some interesting information regarding greenhouse gas emissions.
Did you know radiation is all around us, and it isn't from the Nuclear Fission process, but part of the natural decay matter? When matter breaks down, or decays, radiation is given off. There are a number of ways to measure radiation exposure rates for a person. A common units of measure is the millirem, or one-thousandth of a roentgen equivalent, a unit of measure for a dosage of radiation. The average person is exposed to 360 millirem each year, 200 millirem from natural occurring sources such as, minerals, rocks, metal and cosmic radiation. You might think that a Nuclear power plant worker is exposed to more radiation than any other occupation, but according to the Occupational Exposure to Radiation report, flight attendants have twice the radiation exposure rate than that of a Nuclear Power plant worker. If you are interested in finding out more about radiation, check out Idaho State University's Radiation Information Network, the IAEA's Radiation, People and the Environment, or the World Nuclear Association's page for Nuclear Radiation and Health Effects. There are a number of myths when it comes to Nuclear energy, check out these 10 common myths about Nuclear Energy.
If you find the Nuclear Power Industry interesting and you want to learn more, visit the following sites: