3 ms·

You get more radioactive elements over your life from breathing air in coal-burning country than you would from eating these mushrooms. And it's no a one-time

• Cthulhu_ 6y ago
  Often quoted, and while it's true that coal fumes and (worse) the leftover slag is a huge problem, the fear of nuclear is that it's a lot more sudden. Slag is less of a risk than nuclear waste is but has to be treated similarly. Fumes are dangerous and are basically destroying the world / ecosystem, but it's a slow process as opposed to a nuclear power plant meltdown (Chernobyl, Fukushima) which cause much shorter term issues. Basically people live to a hundred even with pollution, but life expectancy and quality of life is much lower near a meltdown site. That said, if you look purely at numbers, nuclear (assuming it doesn't explode) is better for humanity than coal. That said that said, loads of countries recognize how bad coal is, and it's being phased out in favor of gas and renewables.
  • ajuc 6y ago
    > Slag is less of a risk than nuclear waste is but has to be treated similarly Im my country (Poland) over 20 000 people die yearly of lung cancer. Significant percent of them never smoked cigarettes and the main reason they got that cancer was smog. Which in Poland is almost exclusively seen in winters and caused by burning coal. Chernobyl caused up to 4000 victims according to the worst estimates (including cancer developed later). Every year in just one country there's more victims of coal energetics than victims of nuclear power in the whole world over all time.