we face. Please -identify the threat; -describe why you think it is such a critical public health threat; -do you think our public health system is prepared to counter the threat?; -what can be done to either lessen or eliminate the threat?
Essay on Use of Nuclear
Power: A Great Threat to the Public Health
In the past years, the rapid advancement
in the technology brought about challenges and problems such as the lack of stable
source of electricity. For many years, the non-renewable resources of fossil fuels
such as oil and coal have been the main sources of electricity. In the recent
times, nuclear power is seen as a potential alternative source of great amounts
of energy supply. The nuclear power plants and stations operate on a global
scale in order to supply for more than 400,000 megawatts of energy or an
estimate of 14% energy supply. Despite the potential of the nuclear power to
supply massive amounts of energy, the expansion of nuclear plants is seen as
very disastrous to public health. The generation of nuclear energy equally goes
with the generation of immense negative health effects for the public.
The
accidents in the Cherenobyl and Fukushima Nuclear Power plants are the evidence
of how disastrous nuclear accidents can be and how it can cause both short-term
and long-term health diseases for the affected public. Despite the issue
against the negative effects of nuclear power plants both on the environment
and human health, the numbers of nuclear power plants continue to rise, not
only in the United States but also in the other countries of the world.
One of the most pressing issues
against the nuclear power and power plants is the many negative health effects
of radioactivity. The nuclear reactors in the power plants which are powered by
nuclear fission make use of ionizing radiation. It is known that the ionizing
radiation produces a lot of toxic substances that can greatly harm human
health. Ionizing radiation is known to cause damage to DNA and lead to genetic
mutation. The radioactivity generated by
the nuclear reactors are made up of
different radionuclides that can be very lethal to human . A milligram
of such radionuclides can be very fatal when ingested or inhaled. The exposure
to these elements and to nuclear radiation can mean serious and lethal health
effects for the public. They can cause carcinogenic effects
such as leukemia, cancer, congenital defects, diabetes, infections in the immune
systems and infant mortality. Studies show
that people living near these nuclear power plants have higher chances of
suffering long term health diseases. The workers in the power plants were also
observed to experienced deep tissue traumas, skin burns and chronic diseases
such as cancer. Thus, the issue of generating nuclear power by power
plants poses critical threats to the
public health.
The effects of the ionizing
radiation are classified into two types; the deterministic effects and the
stochastic effects. The deterministic effects are those which are associated to
be directly proportional to the dose of the radioactive substance. This means
that the higher the dose, the worse the effects are. Skin damage and blood
disorders are one of these deterministic effects. The stochastic effects on the
other hand are those outcomes with high chances of occurring. These effects
would primarily include cancer and genetic defects.
Due to the increasing concern over
the adverse effects of generating nuclear power from power plants, the
government and the local public health systems are in cooperation in developing
response frameworks, guidelines and plans in order to address all types of
radiological and nuclear incidents. The report released by the Department of Health
and Human Services regarding the preparedness to nuclear and radiological
incidents stated that the local public health systems have plans and guidelines
on how to monitor radiological contamination, identify and treat patients who
are contaminated and disseminate the important health information regarding the
issue. With a concrete framework, I think the local level is prepared
responding to various emergencies that can be posed by nuclear incidents.
Aside from being prepared in
addressing nuclear and radiological accidents, I think one of the best ways to
lessen or totally eliminate the threat is for the government to enforce more
intervention. The government should further monitor and impose laws to nuclear
power corporations. The government’s direct involvement should emphasize the
safety of the people and the environment instead of the economic interests.
Sources:
Van Leeuwen, Jan
Willem Storm. Health risks of nuclear
power. Chaam: The Netherlands
22 Nov 2010. Web. 7 Jul 2013.
Levinson, Daniel. Local Public Health Preparedness for Radiological and Nuclear Incidents.
United States of America: Department of Health and Human Services
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