The Chernobyl Disaster The safety of nuclear reactors has been heavily questioned since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. The workers within the Chernobyl power station were experimenting with control rods in a reactor. Following a series of misjudgments, one of the four reactors exploded. The radiation released into the atmosphere was 100 times the amount contained within the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. 300,000 acres of farmland surrounding Chernobyl was abandoned and 100,000 people were immediately evacuated from the area. The fallout of radioactive particles from the explosion spread to almost every country in the northern hemisphere, including the UK. 28 workers and firemen on site at Chernobyl died from direct exposure to the high levels of radiation. Many more people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer as a result of the radiation in coming years. Curiously, only a few decades on, wildlife is flourishing in the Chernobyl region. These animals have no obvious ill-effects, but some studies have found young birds are affected by the lingering radiation. Their brains are 5% smaller than birds who have not been exposed to background radiation. Many of the countries affected still have restrictions on the productions and consumption of food potentially contaminated by radiation from Chernobyl. Waste Disposal Another aspect of nuclear power that comes under scrutiny is waste disposal. Uranium fuel rods can be handled with plastic gloves and pose little radioactive risk. They can last several years before the atoms have been divided too many times and have no energy left to create fissions. However, at this point, the fuel rods can be extremely dangerous. There is risk of accidents during the transportation of wastes to disposal sites. The radioactive waste is "encapsulated" within steel drums and cement at Sellafield, Cumbria. It takes uranium 40-50 years to lose less than 1000th of its original radioactivity. This high-activity waste will take thousands of years to break down to a harmless level. Lower-activity waste such as paper towels from power stations can be buried and break down much faster. However, there is also concern about this underground disposal method and the potential contamination of water supplies. In 1976, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution warned that is is "irresponsible and morally wrong to commit future generations to the consequences of nuclear fission power on a massive scale unless it has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that at least one method exists for the safe isolation of these wastes for the indefinite future." Over thirty years later, no certain method for the safe disposal of nuclear waste exists. Protests A large number of anti-nuclear groups have established across the world since knowledge of devastating atomic weapons became widespread in the 1950s. The fear of accidental or deliberate use of atomic weapons particularly took hold during the Cold War. However, on-going arms control efforts by many countries including Russia and the USA have done much to allay these fears. The use of nuclear energy is now the most prominent cause for concern amongst anti-nuclear critics. The primary fear is of a power station meltdown similar to Chernobyl, releasing more radioactivity. The period of time needed to dispose of large amounts of radioactive waste is another questionable aspect of nuclear power. The waste in storage is often extremely dangerous and must be kept secure for an immensely long time. As the 2011 earthquake in Japan revealed, this can be difficult in the face of extreme natural disasters. There is also some debate over the ultimate cost of nuclear power. Nuclear advocates claim it to be much more effective than fuel-fossils for the same price. Anti-nuclear groups dispute this, as the costs for the on-going disposal and protection of radioactive waste run high." />

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