"Dirty and dangerous" is a cry regularly made by figures such as Greenpeace about nuclear power. That they are exaggerating to even a small degree is probably not a surprise to most people, but most people may find it a surprise just how much exaggeration and spin goes into their arguments that it is "dirty and dangerous". This chapter contains discussions on the safety questions brought up with regard to nuclear power.
- Radiation and pollution
- Three eyed fish? Most people would agree not. But in fact, nuclear power stations give some of lowest pollution of all major heavy industries. This page answers questions surrounding claims of regular pollution from the nuclear industry.
- What could go wrong?
- Many people may think that nuclear reactors are ticking time bombs. If they are, they have got awfully big clocks. This page describes how the principle of defense-in-depth makes modern nuclear reactors very safe.
- Weapons of terror
- The politics of fear never fails. But what exactly are the terrorists supposed to do? This page discusses the difficulties faced by terrorists trying to use the nuclear fuel cycle against us.
- Nuclear power in space
- The ranks of nuclearspace supporters are large, because they recognise that it is only way to effective exploration and use of space. Can be done safely? This page describes the measures put in place to ensure safety during missions utilises the power of the nucleus.
For greater insight into the principles of engineering safety, there is an exercise in the appendices, which applies them to popular fiction.