My father-in-law forwarded this to me, from CalPirg.

Over the weekend I was reading a book that suggested one of the best possible ways to approach life was to use the minimum effective amount of anything needed to get the job done.

We just don’t need nuclear reactors to be able to turn on light bulbs.

The danger is greater than the benefit.

Below is a great summary of the issues.

Debra 🙂

Q: Just how risky is nuclear power?

A: Very. Every operating nuclear power plant in the United States has a pool of spent fuel on site, and the possibility of a Fukushima-like loss of coolant—and ensuing release of radiation—is quite real. A worst-case accident involving one of these pools could make more than 2,700 miles of land unfit for human habitation, lead to as many as 143,000 cancer fatalities within 500 miles of the accident site, and cause more than $700 billion in property damage.[i]

Even minor exposures to radiation released during a nuclear accident can cause health problems, including cancer later in life.[ii] Radioactive materials stay dangerous for thousands of years.

Q: Wasn’t the disaster in Japan caused by a combination of events—the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent power outage—that couldn’t happen here?

A: Between hurricanes, tornadoes, human error, the potential for terrorist attack, mechanical failure, the age of our nuclear reactors and yes—earthquakes and tsunamis—it’s not outrageous to think that a major incident could happen at any one of the 104 nuclear reactors operating at the United States. Each of America’s nuclear power stations share the same vulnerabilities as the nuclear reactors in Japan.[iii]

Q: Don’t we need nuclear power to keep the lights on?

A: Not necessarily. Nuclear power currently generates about 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply, and it would be difficult to immediately shut existing reactors down. But we don’t need to continue to allow nuclear reactors to operate beyond the 40 years they were originally designed for, and we don’t need to build new reactors.

We have vast safe energy resources that can do a better job of keeping the lights on. And they don’t explode, spill, or contaminate food supplies with radiation. For example, if we improved efficiency, in the next 20 years we could free up as much electricity as 100 new nuclear reactors could generate.[iv]

And America’s entire electricity needs could be met by the sunlight falling on a 100-mile-square patch of Nevada desert, or by the wind blowing across North Dakota.[v]

Q: But isn’t nuclear power cheap?

A: No, it’s expensive and a bad investment. Nuclear power is among the most costly approaches to solving America’s energy problems. You just have to look at the history of nuclear power to understand. Of 75 nuclear reactors completed between 1966 and 1986, the average cost was more than triple the original construction budget.[vi] In 1985, Forbes magazine wrote that “the failure of the U.S. nuclear power program ranks as the largest managerial disaster in business history, a disaster on a monumental scale.”[vii]

The industry instead turned to taxpayer support. Over the last fifty years, American taxpayers have subsidized nuclear power to the tune of $145 billion.[viii] That’s more than the entire value of the electricity produced.[ix]

Wall Street investors still won’t touch nukes because the technology is too risky and too expensive. In contrast, investors are lining up to support newer renewable technologies, because they are more cost effective. Per dollar of investment, safe energy solutions—such as energy efficiency and wind power—deliver far more electricity than nuclear reactors.[x]

Q: Isn’t nuclear power better for the environment?

No. Energy efficiency is better. So are wind and solar power. These energy sources are better at preventing the kind of pollution that comes from fossil fuel plants than nuclear reactors because they are cheaper. They also don’t pose any risk of contaminating land, water or food with radioactive pollution.

For more information, and to get regular updates, visit our website.

Sincerely,

Emily Rusch

CALPIRG State Director

P.S. Please feel free to share this message with your friends and family.

[i] (In 2011 dollars.) A Safety And Regulatory Assessment of Generic BWR and PWR Permanently Shutdown Nuclear Power Plants, Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, August 1997.

[ii] According to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a single dose of 0.1 Sieverts would result in approximately 1 person in 100 developing cancer over their lifetime. Lower doses produce proportionally smaller risks. For example, a single exposure of 0.01 Sieverts would cause 1 person in 1,000 to develop cancer during their lifetime.Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation, National Academy of Sciences, 2006.

[iii] U.S. Nuclear Plants Have Same Risks, and Backups, as Japan Counterparts, New York Times, March 13, 2011.

[iv] The High Cost of Nuclear Power: Why America Should Choose a Clean Energy Future Over New Nuclear Reactors, U.S. PIRG, March 31, 2009.

[v] Wind: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy’s Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply[pdf], DOE/GO-102008-2567, July 2008.
Sun: Bernadette del Chiaro, Tony Dutzik and Sarah Payne, Environment America Research & Policy Center, On the Rise: Solar Thermal Power and the Fight Against Global Warming, Spring 2008.

[vi] This figure actually underestimates the degree to which nuclear projects exceeded budget targets. It excludes escalation and finance costs incurred by construction delays, and does not include data from some of the most over-budget reactors. See Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office, Nuclear Power’s Role in Generating Electricity[pdf], May 2008, based on data from U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, An Analysis of Nuclear Power Plant Construction Costs, Technical Report DOE/EIA-0485, 1 January 1986.

[vii] J. Cook, “Nuclear Follies,” Forbes, February 1985.

[viii] Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable without Subsidies[pdf], Union of Concerned Scientists, February 2011.

[ix] Federal energy subsidies: Not all technologies are created equal [pdf], Renewable Energy Policy Project, July 2000.

[x] The High Cost of Nuclear Power: Why America Should Choose a Clean Energy Future Over New Nuclear Reactors, U.S. PIRG, March 31, 2009.

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Question from Heather Chandler

This is a super hard, long-lasting polish that needs strong remover to get off. My gut tells me it’s not good, though I’ve seen it marketed as a greener alternative since it lasts so long. What do you know of it’s toxicity? Many thanks for your help!

Debra’s Answer

Your gut is correct. Here’s an article from the New York Times about Shellac nail polish. It is applied in a salon, baked on with a heat lamp and requires soaking your nails with pads containing toxic acetone to remove it. How this is green, I don’t know.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/fashion/22Skin.html

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Question from janicedb

Hi Debra

I ordered your bathroom renovation project info and it was so helpful in re-doing our bathroom. What started out as a simple project resulted in our having to re-do the whole bathroom after a serious leak was discovered. Thanks for all the great info.

We’re tackling our old windows next. Do you or any readers have any advice on which replacement windows are better for chemically sensitive people. I like wood frame windows but know that the wood could be treated with pesticides and toxic preservatives and I understand that the fiberglas windows have been problematic for some as well.

Also any caulk recommendations for around windows?

Also our washer died a few months ago and I purchased a new Maytag Bravos washer. Two weeks later I still was getting sick from the offgasing. The problem seemed to be the rubber hose that is packed inside the new washer. No matter how I cleaned the tub or how many cleaning cycles I ran through, I couldn’t get rid of the smell. I returned it and asked about washers that didn’t come with hoses inside. I bought a basic top loading High Efficiency whirlpool washer Model# WTW4950XW0 from Lowe’s and I love it. I just left the window open in the basement for a couple of weeks until the new smells dissipated. It’s worked out really well.

Debra’s Answer

Readers, what do you recommend for windows and caulk for MCS?

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Question from vta canary

Does anyone know a good unscented eye mask? I would like to find a good non-toxic eye mask for sleeping. I can not tolerate most of the fragrances that are in normal eye masks (ie lavender) The street light coming in my bedroom is bright and I really need a good nights sleep.

Debra’s Answer

Here’s one: Indigo Spring Eye Pillow. It’s made from 100% cotton, but I can’t vouch for the toxicity of the cotton. But take a look at it. I appears to be several layers of dark cotton with elastic straps. Seems like a simple enough thing to make yourself.

I have a silk eye pillow filled with flax seeds and lavender. The lavender doesn’t bother me, but I understand you do not do well with it. However, many companies that make flax eye pillows do offer them without the fragrant herbs. Here is one: Flax Eye Pillow. Again, it’s simple enough to just make a bag of whatever soft fabric you like and fill it with flax seeds.

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Question from SVE

Hi Debra,

I’m very sensitive to polyurethane foam in furniture. I experience a definite reaction while sitting in a chair with polyurethane foam. Do you know if polyurethane foam emits fumes? I’m now wondering if I need to avoid breathing the air in a room with polyurethane foam furniture.

Thanks! And thanks for your wonderful website. It’s a great source of information and often gives me peace of mind when I’m trying to find a solution to a toxic problem.

SVE

I located a bodyslant that I want to purchase BUT it is made w/ polyurethane foam… will it outgas forever or since the foam cushions are removeable, can I air them outside in the sun to make it safe to be in my home?

Having discovered your website, I am amazed at all the toxins within our homes. I am trying to eliminate as much as I can, whenever possible, even in little steps as you’ve suggested in ” Home Safe Home.”

However, there are some items that I am stuck with and just don’t know what to do with, such as all my furniture that contains polyurethane foam. This would include a leather sofa and chairs, other upholstered chairs, and a new and very expensive dining room set with eight upholstered chairs containing polyurethane foam. The end chairs are even upholstered all along the back and sides. Obviously, I cannot afford to buy all new, non-toxic furniture from some of your recommended sources. If I could, I would get rid the furniture knowing how toxic it is, but my husband thinks I am being neurotic and extreme.

I worry about my children who even play on the dining room set. I did have a table protector on it, but just realized that it is probably made of vinyl, so removed it.

Do you have any suggestions or recommendations? I feel like having polyurethane foam in my house is just something I have to accept for now.

The non-toxic, no polyurethane foam furniture is a lot more expensive too… How toxic is the polyurethane foam in furniture? I wonder about the wood furniture too, such as my hutch, buffet and table. It’s not easy to find out exactly what everything is made of or what toxins may be lurking in everything… Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

Polyurethane foam does emit fumes, whether in a mattress or in furniture.

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