New York
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Nuclear Moratorium
Health & safety issues related to nuclear power
HEALTH ISSUES
According to a new study from Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, people who live near nuclear power facilities in Massachusetts have "significantly increased cancer incidence” with risk declining beyond roughly 18 miles from reactors.
SAFETY ISSUES
Accidents happen. Some nuclear reactors have had a partial or significant core meltdown.
o 1979 - Three-Mile Island, Pennsylvania
o 1980 - Saint-Laurent, France
o 1986 - Chernobyl, Russia
o 2011 - Fukushima Daiichi, Japan (3 reactors)
Insurance companies refuse to insure nuclear plants due to potentially catastrophic costs of a major accident.
Price-Anderson Act:
•Each plant covered by maximum liability insurance or $500 million per site.
•Nuclear industry self-insurance: damages to public exceeding $500 million assessed equally against all reactors. Capped at about $160 million per reactor
•Total of $660 million per reactor.
Cleanup costs of 3 Fukushima nuclear meltdowns estimated at $460 to $640 billion
Nuclear power facilities are a prime target for terrorist activity. With growing international tensions, drone-mounted bombs, and the possibility of catastrophic consequences, it's a risk New Yorkers should not be asked to take.