Doesn’t nuclear power generate a lot of harmful radiation?
During the fission process a large amount of radiation is generated However, there are very strict requirements for the containment of radiation. Virtually no radiation goes beyond the containment vessel of the reactor. There are several levels of protection from radiation in a nuclear plant, the first being the nuclear fuel itself. Nuclear fuel in modern plants is made of a very stable oxide of uranium. Much of the radiation is actually trapped within the fuel itself. Secondly, the remaining radiation has a limited distance of travel and is absorbed within the pressure vessel which is made of steel plate 8 inches thick. And finally, the pressure vessel is enclosed in the containment structure which is made of four foot thick reinforced concrete. The accident at TMI provided us with some valuable lessons, one of which was to demonstrate that even for severely damaged fuel, the containment vessel served its design function and prevented radiation in harmful levels from reaching the publ
