nuclear power versus job? Is it worth it?

[mumstheword33]

Hi my husband has been offered a great job in west of country. Have been there before on hols and know we get alot more for our money. Bearing all this in mind have read up about the nuclear power plant being built and v worried and not sure after i read about terrible after effects and health issues (leukaemias, cancers) after other disasters. We have a young family and is it worth it ? Are we better to hopefully stay a safe distance. Not sure if im being paranoid but it seems pretty scary

The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) says that aircrews are exposed to 4.6 millisieverts (mSv) each year, compared to nuclear workers who are exposed to 3.6mSv.

When consultations on building Sizewell B were being carried out, there was a public exhibition which included some low-level waste from a nuclear plant next to a piece of rock from Cornwall. Visitors were shown how a geiger counter demonstrated that the rock was more radioactive.
When the display was dismantled, because the rock was radioactive, it couldn't be returned to the beach, but had to go into secure storage with the rest of the waste.

I don't get the feeling that you're interested in POV that counter your's though...

You're now starting to sound much more like someone pushing an anti-nuclear power agenda than the person worried about moving near a new reactor site.

Are you anxious about this potential move? Anxious and risk averse in general?

Reason I ask is that when we face great changes and challenges in life it is scary and easy to latch onto something, in your case nuclear radiation/disaster, as a means of avoiding the real issue. Do you want to move? Is this just avoidance behaviour? Are you looking for a reason. It to move?

I think the trouble here is that you are clearly coming from an irrational position of ignorance. And really Chernobyl is irrelevant here. France is fuelled by nuclear energy. Regulation and safety is very serious in the UK and Europe. The UK has lead to world in its nuclear technology.

Not to move

the ironic thing is that Germany took the moral high ground by abandoning their plants. Instead the buy their (nuclear) energy from other countries

Germany didn't take the moral high ground - it followed populist policies generated by irrational fears

Sorry - 'moral high ground' was intended to be in inverted commas

Along with Cornwall you will want to avoid Aberdeen, which also has higher background radiation than a nuclear plant or a site like Sellafield because of naturally occurring granite.

There was once a news story that the radiation alarms at Sellafield were set off by a delivery of a load of concrete, and another time by naturally occurring radon during a low pressure weather system. That's how seriously they take safety and how sensitive their alarms are.

Are you also avoiding living near fossil fuel plants or incinerators?

So OP - you're essentially saying you're going to ignore anybody that's offering an informed opinion because they're in the industry?

It's not flippant to mention levels of radiation from flying, or scans etc. I've been in disbanded reactors, I've worked with radioactive materials, and I've had my exposure monitored and it was well below safe levels.
All the x-rays and CT scans though.. Quite a high level of exposure there, in my case.

I'm NOT saying that nuclear power stations are the best option, I favour renewable options.

Just found this, which may be reassuring.
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2014-07-23-no-increased-risk-cancer-children-living-near-sellafield-or-dounreay

Go read sense about science.

And of course, never travel by car as that is the highest risk you face. 1700 fatalities in 2016.

Thanks to all. Appreciate all your positive views but just wish I hadnt read anything in the first place then I wouldn't worry! Her other half thanks for your view but I don't have any agenda apart from my families welfare. Just wish I didn't have to think about this. Maybe im a bit paranoid but I just don't want to do anything that might put them at risk however seemingly small. Thanks for everyones feedback and will wait to see what we are offered from firm and go from there. Cheers mumstheword33

Background radiation in this country (Cornwall aside) is really low compared to other parts of the world. So even living really really close to a nuclear power station (less than a mile say) where you may be exposed to a tiny amount of extra radiation you will still have far less exposure than living in say USA, which you probably wouldn't think twice about. It's honestly far safer than living near a conventional power station where your asthma risk increases much more significantly. A friend works on a nuclear plant, often going in radiation controlled areas - so far this year his exposure has been about the same as eating 40 bananas (ie less than if he'd eaten 2 extra bananas a week) - miniscule, and that's going to be more than living right by a power station, and way way more than living some miles away.

You put them at risk every time you put them in a car.

Dh worked on nuclear submarines for years; I lived in Plymouth for years, so near to all those lovely submarine reactors gurgling away, and until we moved abroad, had lived within a 25 mile radius of Devonport dockyard for 20 years, which meant living on Dartmoor at times and in Cornwall. None of my family have cancer or glow in the dark.

As specialsubject says, they are very much more at risk from being in a car, and I don't suppose you think twice about that.

Non modern life was far riskier - diseases, cold, starvation. Dead at 40.