No to Nuclear

No, it is not worth risking an accident like the one at Chernobyl in order to separate from traditional, fossil-fuel based energy. The event which occurred at Chernobyl permanently affected the environment. If we continue to test nuclear energy, we can permanently affect all aspects of our daily lives. The people who lived in Belarus continue to suffer from the lingering radiation that perpetually plagues their home.  A baby boy born in rural Belarus today can only expect to live 59 years. Forty-five to 47 percent of those graduating from high school have physical disorders like gastro-intestinal anomalies, weakened hearts, and cataracts; 40 percent of them have chronic “blood disorders” and malfunctioning thyroids. These are just a few of the side-effects that afflict the people who live in Belarus, but even their surrounding environment is tainted with persistent chemicals which have their own detrimental effect on Belarusan soil. Celsium-137 is one of the numerous lasting results of the Chernobyl event. This isotope is easily absorbed and accumulated by grains and legumes, which means that Belarus soil has been rendered barren because of one of the various radioactive isotopes. Strontium-90 also affects bone marrow, irradiating the stem cells responsible for our blood and immune systems, and iodine-131 can even cause thyroid cancer. Nuclear energy can eventually foster a more sustainable future, but at the moment its ambiguous nature and possible consequences prove to be too dangerous for modern society.