We all live in a 'sea of radiation' caused by cosmic rays, radon gas from the soil and rocks and from other sources. The health effects from these low level sources of radiation are the subject of much controversy; with some people saying that they have no effect, others saying it is harmful and others that at low levels radiation can be beneficial. However, the nuclear industry adopts a prudent approach and puts in place barriers and practices to minimise the amount of radiation that workers in the industry and the general public receive.

There is no acitivity that the human race undertakes that is completely safe and free from risk. All that can be expected is to reduce the risk to be as low as is possible. Within the UK, Western Europe and the USA there is a substantial database that can be used to compare the risks from nuclear reactors with other industrial and leisure activities. These comparisons reveal that the current generation of nuclear reactors are extremely safe. Future reactor designs have simpler, passive safety systems to make them even safer.

Experimental results have shown that nuclear waste can be stored for many hundreds of years without producing significant environmental effects. There are many places across the planet where radioactive material has naturally occurred since the planet was formed without producing severe environmental effects.

Nuclear Power is not immune from terrorist action. In this respect it is similar to most other human activities. However, civil nuclear plants are designed with a robust containment, fail safe features and multi-layered defence against attacks. They are also subject to rigorous security arrangements. As a result, the risks from any kind of terrorist or other malicious threat are kept to a minimum

Nuclear Energy provides about 25% of the worlds energy needs and, without nuclear energy, global warming and the release of carbon dioxide and other noxious gases into the atmosphere would be more severe. France has led the way with about 80% of its power generated from its nuclear power stations. However, many other countries use nuclear power as an important component in a diverse mix of energy sources. Finland, Japan, Belgium, USA, South Korea and China all have substantial civil nuclear programmes.

This is difficult to answer as, in the short term, the cost of energy varies with fluctuations in supply and demand. A few years ago the price of a barrel of oil was $10 and this year it has been as high as $70. Two authoritative studies by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the World Nuclear Association have compared the price of generating electricity from nuclear power with other sources of energy. The comparisons were made prior to the recent escalations in oil and gas prices and indicated that nuclear was competitive with all other forms of power. For more information on this topic see the page on 'The Truth about Nuclear'.