A comparison of death rate from Coal Mining and Nuclear Power

Author: Iloka Benneth Chiemelie

Published: 9th-November-2014

Commentary: In response to Question Asked.

Sallam Mohd,

It seems from your concluding figure that coal mining pose high rate of death when compared with nuclear power production. However, I do think that death in this case is not clearly defined because it focuses only on the mining process, while ignoring usage process, post usages process, and deaths occurring from disasters.

Even if only the mining process is to be viewed, The China Labour Bulletin (2014) reported that the resulting death from mining of coal has been decreasing over the years together with accompanying injuries. 2014 is said to have the lowest death rate in the history of Chinese coal mining, and the government together with companies in the sector have drafted as well as implemented appropriate strategies to ensure that such decrease in death rate continues over the years.

However, same is not to be said about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. As reported by Chris (2014) in Business Insider Australia, effects of the nuclear disaster on the ecosystem has slowly started to reveal. Chris noted that that a range of scientist have studied the disaster and they have revealed the impact on the natural world from the radiation leaks in the Japanese Fukushima nuclear power station.

Scientist who started gathering data samples just month after the disaster have noticed that there are numerous and serious biological effects on non0human organisms (such as plants, butterflies, birds, etc.). Series of articles in relation to the disaster that have now been published in the Journal of Heredity have highlighted variety of impacts that range from decline in population to genetic damages are these organism fight to repair mechanism that help them to cope with exposure to radiation (Chris, 2014).

A common effect emanating from the published studies is that there is chronic (low-dose) espouses to the radiation which travelled far and wide, and this has resulted in genetic damages as well as increases rate of mutation in both reproductive and non-reproductive cells. This has resulted in the activation of genes needed for self-defense, which ranges from replication of DNAs and repair to stress response up to death of cells (Chris, 2014).

As such, it is clear that while the effect of coal mining death stops at the death of the deceased, the effect of nuclear disaster stretches far to generations after us, changing numerous processes in our genetic structure and potentially risking the future generations that won’t have the core elements contained in our present genetic structure. If care is not taken, it can stretch down to a cyclical path that will pose a huge threat to both our present and future. Additionally, while death from coal can occur directly at the coal plant, death from nuclear power can actually effect the whole world as radiation can travel far and wide. For instance, radiations form the Fukushima disaster reached California in the USA. Thus, nuclear death is actually a case for everybody to answer not just for the miners and engineers in the station.

What do you think about this idea?

Reference

China Labour Bulletin (2014). Coal mine accidents in China decrease as production stagnates. Available at: http://www.clb.org.hk/en/content/coal-mine-accidents-china-decrease-production-stagnates [Accessed on: 9^th-11-2014].

Chris Pash, (2014). The Crushing Effects of Radiation From The Fukushima Disaster On The Ecosystem Are Being Slowly Revealed. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-serious-biological-effects-of-fukushima-radiation-on-plants-insects-and-animals-is-slowly-being-revealed-2014-8 [Accessed on: 9^th-11-2014].