Nuclear Energy Safety and Public Perception - The industry addresses misconceptions about radiation harming human life, potential radioactivity leaks from nuclear power stations, and the permanent hazard of spent fuel [1][2] - Early radiation safety standards, based on limited low-dose data, led to overly cautious regulations, which the industry now believes are not entirely supported by more recent data from nuclear plant workers and medical patients [5][6] - The industry emphasizes that low-dose radiation exposure within prescribed limits is not significantly harmful to human health, supported by epidemiological studies showing no abnormal cancer increase in plant workers and surrounding communities [7][10][11] - Regulatory boards prescribe a maximum dose of 1 millisievert per year for the public, which is less than half of the natural background radiation dose and significantly less than a chest CT scan (6-7 millisievert) [8][9] Spent Fuel Management and Reprocessing - India, unlike the USA, reprocesses spent nuclear fuel to extract reusable uranium and plutonium, as well as useful radioisotopes [13] - Reprocessing of one ton of spent fuel can generate 336 million kilowatt hours of electricity, with over 99% being uranium and plutonium that can be reused or safely stored [14] - Useful isotopes extracted from spent fuel, such as strontium-90, cesium-137, and americium-241, have applications in blood irradiators, cancer treatment plaques, and deep space missions [14][15] Nuclear Energy and Climate Change - Nuclear power is presented as a clean and concentrated energy source that does not generate carbon dioxide during operation, crucial for mitigating climate change [18] - While solar and wind energy are vital, they are intermittent, unpredictable, and require significantly more land compared to nuclear power (a 1,000 megawatt electric nuclear power station requires 1 square mile, while solar requires approximately 45 times more) [19][20] - India aims to increase nuclear power generation from 8 gigawatt electric to 100 gigawatt electric by 2047, a 12-fold increase, to achieve net-zero carbon footprint by 2070 and improve the human development index [20][21][23]