P726 CEEFA( 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:35/40 |B220120B|a16Scenj8|i13BBC|l43000|s÷n2÷b ÷e|p SCENE T .Q8) 25 September - 4 December F 12.32 - 12.57 ( 1.00) 27 September - 6 December SPRT ####################################### #################################### , 21 Novjmbjr NUCLEAR POWER - D O WE HAVE A CHOICE? #################### ######################################## ############### IC obzl disaster, how safe 'is' nuclear pow er, and uture? BACKGROUNDINFORMATJONW W is nuclear power?' Nuclear energy invol vjs the release of one of mental forces in nature. Many different sources of jnjrgy - gas, sun, wind and water - have vein ono wn jot a long B rt of this century scientists discovered a new (the tony particles that make up th|cP726 CEEFAX 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:14/02 |B220220B|b16Scenj8|i13BBC|l4337C|s÷n2÷b ÷e|pe s* could bj split. Under certain ions, the atoms of certain elements, par ticularly 'uranium', were tegrate to produce a ch!in reaction. Th is is triggered when f the central nucleus of the atom, strik es a uranium g jnjrgz and more neutrons. These njutr oms in ading the chain reaction. If this ss continued vast amounts of enjtgz and heat would be produced. H ocess can be controlled inside a nuclear reactor. NI ctor the juel, usually uranium, is place d en slotted into a large lump of called the 'core' with an extra control rod. The graphite and stops them jrom hitting other urani um atoms. But P726 CEEFAX 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:14/16 |B420320B|a16Scenj8|i13BBC|l436F2|s÷n2÷b ÷e|p slowly removed from the core, the n uclear chain is produced. If too much heat iu prods cid the T away the heat, a gas or water - known a s W core. The coolant gets heated and em used to turn water into very hot stea m; this in turn drives a roduces electricity. Approximately 19% of Britain's ear power "ut only 4% of our total unjrg y needs R '. In the nuclear reactor the uranium u ndergoes a lot of t fujlW can bj reprocessed for re-use. One of the s 'plutonium' and this can bj extracted for TUK ng a new reprocessing plant at S d (formerly Windscale) called THORP to r eprocess the fuel from AP726 CEEFAX 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:16/39 |B220420B|bQ6Scenj8|j13BBC|l43A68|s÷n2÷b ÷e|pGas Cooled Reactors (AGRs) (uj below ) and taking in spent untries. Reprocessing, however, is very costly and it f extremely radio-active waste which has to ve D . Waste products are graded according t o the degree of off. 'Low level waste' includes contam inated erally packed in drums and buried in llow trenches or dumped at sea. This la tter policy is highly -1- ial and many countries - such as Belgium and Switzerland - have actice. In 1983 the National Union of S eamjn banned sea . At the moment Britain is considering four new pose of low level waste but the MP for o nj P726 CEEFAX 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:17/11 |B220520B|a16Scenj8|i13BBC|l43DE7|s÷n2÷b ÷e|pd to resign if this goes ahead. 'Me dium d at nuclear plants but may one day bj tried underground. What to do with 'dig h level waste' is still a major At the moment tanks of it are carifull y stored above ground and itored and closely supervised at all tim es. R rth and is present in natural like rocks. However, the amount of rad iation given off bz very small. Some nuclear reactor bz-pro ducts give off . Scientists have developed a measure o f T a single dose of 600 rems will kill , that 100 will cause radiation sickness , and that 0.5 is the maximum e to which people should be exposed. A very high dose of the central nervous system of the bo|cP726 CEEFAX 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:21/13 |B220620B|b16Scenj8|j13BBC|l4415C|s÷n2÷b ÷e|pdz within days A dose will affect the intestines within a matter of bone mbrrow could follow a month or two later. L jn, can appear after a couple of years; dealths reach a peak after 10 years and tail off after 2u years. Even 10 after exposure, cancer can begin to appe br and genetic damage may h, disjasj and disability to children as yet unborn. B usury'. The first of several nuclear po wet CHC mbria in 1956. These 'MagnoxW soon proved to "j not very economical an d new reactors, called AGC led Reactors' (AGRs), began to be "kilt. The Windscale AGR tricity in February 1963. In fact three different AGR t but only one proved any good; the |cP726 CEEFAX 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:47/17 |B220720B|a16Scenj8|i13BBC|l444D1|s÷n2÷b ÷e|pother two vjl engineering disasters". Perhaps rho wing a oduced AGR, Britain is now considering uilding an American designed 'Pressurisj d Water ReactorW (PWR) at S e Suffolk coast. The PWR uses water as a coolant instead of F ready built 38 PWRs of this design of wh ich 12 are E h Channel, and in fact some of the ricity generated from them comer to Brit aim. In 1985 21 countries g 181 PWRs and another 220 plants {ere b eing built or planned NAWI in the cooling pumps at the Three M Island reactor, a Pressurisjd Water Rjac tor, in the United Sates normous overheating and a complete mjltd own, the worst O the years there have been a number o|cP726 CJEFA( 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:12/24 |B220820B|a16Scenj8|j13BBC|l44847|s÷n2÷b ÷e|pf accidents, mall leakage of radiation, but in 1957 a fire at W cloud of highly radioactive dust; 2 mill ion because of the risk of contamination d it is apparently the case that 33 pjop le in the surrounding illed by radioactivity or suffered sjvjr e genetic I oust nuclear reactor accident took place at CR ]5] AF TJR THE PROGRAMME' T l before and after the programme: Do you agree or g statements (a) Nuclear power is pjrfec sly I living near a nuclear plant (c) All nuclear plants should bj closed down no w (d) Wj should keep the have but not build any more. NP726 CEEFA( 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:38/24 |B220920B|b16Scenj8|j13BBC|l44BCD|s÷n2÷b ÷e|pclear technology is still growing an d some people think that if it's ng to bj completely safe one day, we nee d to develop it now. But t to accept a risk to people's lives no w in order for ater T ed that nuclear plants pose no extra res k rbz. However, a recent report G diam 10.6.86) found that leukajmia cases amont young people near t Dounreay were 10 times the expected le vel, a jigure similar near Sellafield and Aldjrmaston. How mu ch risk should ed to? Should local people be asked to move I attention to radio-active discharges fro m SIS organisation 'Greenpeace' tried cuing the end of the waste pipe. Wh|cP726 CEEFAX 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:14/47 |B220A20B|a16Scenj8|i13BBC|l44F43|s÷n2÷b ÷e|pat do you think of such methods of direct action? What are the problems caused by dumping radio-active e in the sea M njrgz production, such as power stations fired bz pollution. The 'Green Movement' says t hat on is for people to live more simply. How could we achieve this? What would you be prepared to do without in dir to reduce pollution and the dangers to the environment? AC , the nuclear power industry has admitte d that a number so taken place in Britain in the past, b ut the public I there a need for such secrecy? Do you think we A any disadvantages and dangers if we too from those in high places WP726 CEEFAX 726 Mon 17 Nov 21:33/20 |B220B20B|b16Scenj8|i13BBC|l452BB|s÷n2÷b ÷e|p is the difference between 'renewabl e' and non-renewable' sources er? (see bottom of page). Of the renew able sources of power most effective in Britain? BOOKSAND RESOURCESW MTIERNE Macdonald (Debates), 1984 UK om Atomic Enjrgz Authority', 11 Charles II Street, London SW) FE rth', 377 City Road, London EC1V 1NA A nswer to Q8: 'Renewable' = wind, sun, w ater and wave power. WN n-renewable' = oil, coal, gas, uranium) NST first of two programmer about ips between boys and girls. -3-