Little-Known Facts About Nuclear Power

17% of the world's electricity came from 442 nuclear power plants in 1996. Nuclear energy accounted for 77% of France's electricity, 52% of Sweden's, and 22% of the United States'.
36 nuclear power plants are currently under construction in 14 countries. Five plants began commercial operation last year, including one at the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The safety record of nuclear power is outstanding. Radiation from nuclear plants has not caused a single known death worldwide, except at the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine. The known death toll from the Chernobyl accident is less than 50.
Chernobyl-type plants can not be built or operated in the United States.
Less radiation is given off by a nuclear power plant than a coal-burning plant.
Nuclear power plants emit no carbon dioxide (which contributes to global warming and the greenhouse effect) nor sulfur and nitrogen oxides (which cause acid rain).
Nuclear power plants save thousands of lives every year in the United States. This is because nuclear plants replace many coal plants, which emit tiny particulates into the atmosphere. These particulates are believed to kill thousands of Americans each year. Nuclear plants emit no particulates.
There is a good solution to disposing of our nuclear wastes -- to bury them deep underground where they will be harmless. In contrast, there is no solution to handling the billions of tons of carbon dioxide which coal and natural gas plants discharge yearly nor the particulates which coal plants emit -- except to discharge them into the atmosphere we breath.
A new, second-generation nuclear plant was recently constructed in Japan in less than 4.5 years and below budget. Some American plants took over twice that long to build. The Japanese plant was designed by a team of American and Japanese companies.
France exports electricity from nuclear power for profit.

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