Many people believe that nuclear energy is the direction the US should take. They think it is far more efficient and cleaner than other nonrenewable sources of energy we are currently using; however, they fail to realize that there are major drawbacks to the use of nuclear energy that make it just as harmful as other energy sources. The significant harmful factors associated with it that many neglect are:
- It is extremely expensive to build nuclear power plants, ranging between $12 and $18 million to establish a new facility, not to mention the costly expenses of maintaining and upgrading existing plants.
- We will still be just as dependent on oil from the Middle East since it is predominantly used in cars, while nuclear energy produces electrical energy.
- Nuclear power plants run on minerals, such as uranium, that are high in radons, and the mining of which produces radioactive substances that easily contaminate the environment.
- These facilities produce large quantities of radioactive materials, which are impossible to store or dispose of safely without contaminating the environment or posing harm to people. Radioactivity is proven to result in disorders and disease in people, particularly cancer, and those exposed to it will suffer the harmful effects.
- The actual process of refinement and use of the minerals these plants run on cause carbon emissions in at least equal if not greater amounts as coal plants, so it really isn't a cleaner form of energy.
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