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From: mwm@ea.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Nuclear power reduces radioactivity - (nf)
Message-ID: <10100042@ea.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 28-Apr-84 03:27:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ea.10100042
Posted: Sat Apr 28 03:27:00 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 3-May-84 20:04:35 EDT
References: <831@druxm.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:druxm:-83100:ea:10100042:000:1482
Nf-From: ea!mwm    Apr 28 12:27:00 1984

#R:druxm:-83100:ea:10100042:000:1482
ea!mwm    Apr 28 12:27:00 1984

/***** ea:net.politics / azure!jonw /  7:29 am  Apr 25, 1984 */
  >My understanding from physicists that know
  >better than I is that more radioactivity is released per kilowatt-hour
  >from a coal-fired electric plant than from a nuclear electric plant
  >(including the radioactive waste from the nuclear plant and the low-grade 
  >radioactivity from mine tailings and waste from refining nuclear fuel).  

Absolutely not true.  Coal contains, on the average, 1.8 parts per million
(ppm) uranium.  In comparison, the average uranium content of uranium ore is
1500 ppm.  To produce an equivalent amount of electricity, about 20 times more
coal than uranium ore must be mined.  But because there is roughly 1000 times
more uranium in uranium ore than coal, the mining part of the nuclear fuel
cycle brings 50 times as much radioactivity to the earth's surface (1000/20=50).

			Jon White
			[decvax|ucbvax]!tektronix!tekmdp!azure!jonw
/* ---------- */

Positively misread. The (now double) quoted article talks about the
radioactivity from a plant, whereas you start talking about the radioactivity
from complete cycles. It is very easy to believe that the radioactivity
from a coal-fired plant is much greater than that from a nuke-fired plant,
as the coal-fired plant doesn't have to follow any of the incredible stringent
rules the nuke plant does in this area. Note that most coal-fired plants
(and some railroad stations) can't be licensed as nuclear power plants...

	<mike