Crafting a sustainable energy policy will require a clear understanding of the public health risks associated with nuclear power, writes Dr. Joxel Garcia.
As a public health leader for most of my life, I have spent decades working on public health issues all over the world. One such issue that is sometimes polarizing and controversial is radiation. Without question, the subject of radiation elicits an opinion from almost everyone, yet fear, rather than real understanding, often permeates those opinions.
People tend to associate radiation with accidents such as Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and most recently Fukushima. What is often lost in that understanding is objective, science-based information on the beneficial uses of radiation and actual effects of exposure to radiation. Moreover, these beliefs perpetuate themselves often for the lack of effective communication from credible experts on the risks and benefits of nuclear technology for energy production, medicine and the environment. Nuclear technology has the real potential to make our lives better in so many ways. However, sometimes the risk with regard to radiation, no matter how low, seems to disproportionately dominate the conversation.
These issues of public safety currently factor into our energy debate. Detractors of nuclear power often focus on fears associated with radiation, rather than on the environmental and economic benefits that far outweigh any risks. As scientists, environmentalists, and government officials work together to craft an energy policy that is both environmentally and economically sustainable, one that utilizes all of our resources in a clean and safe manner, everyone needs to have a clear understanding of actual risks and benefits in order to make an informed decision that will garner broad public support.
As scientists and health professionals we often use terms and quantities in describing risk that those outside our profession do not understand, and fail to put those terms into proper context. Subsequently, the general public is likely to believe that any radiation exposure is bad, and are likely to be more concerned than relieved about the risk of radiation exposure. To help correct common misperceptions, I joined with a group of world renowned experts at the Health Physics Society (HPS), a group founded in 1956 by those in the scientific community concerned with educating the public about radiation safety, to contribute to a report that aims to put radiation uses and risks into proper perspective.
This collection of papers, Radiation Risk: Expert Perspective, addresses the every- day role of radiation in energy and medicine, how we are exposed to it and how risk is managed and approached through science and responsible policy. The experts explain how we are constantly exposed to radiation from sources all around us, those man-made and those occurring naturally, from space to our food, and how much each contributes to our limited overall exposure.
Another facet examined in the paper is the rise of nuclear technology in medicine; how by using radiation we can now detect cancers in their very early stages allowing treatment to start sooner and save lives, as well as the advancements that allow us to scan a heart after a cardiac event to determine any damage to the heart muscle or blood circulation. My interest in radiation started as a medical student; I was fascinated by Madame Marie Curie’s groundbreaking work on radiation, especially her interest in its clinical benefits. As a resident and then practicing physician, I saw firsthand the clinical benefits of radiation therapy for cancer patients.
But beyond nuclear technology’s role in medicine, nuclear power is an important part of our sustainable energy portfolio, especially if we are trying to reduce our carbon footprint and meet rising demand cleanly. As the cleanest base-load power, nuclear power is presently the only source we have available to significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuels while reducing carbon and other emissions. It currently comprises roughly 70 percent of all clean energy produced in the US and boasts the lowest per kwh [kilowatt hour] cost. Without nuclear energy, we would have to increase our reliance on costly fossil fuel sources which produce greenhouse gases that further exacerbate climate change. A clean base-load power is a necessary part of any long-term energy plan that is environmentally sustainable.
All energy production poses risks, but the preparedness that goes along with nuclear energy production in the US is a great example of science and policy working together to protect us and the environment. Any potential radiation risk associated with nuclear is addressed in our paper as another example of benefits surpassing risk, and those minimal risks being managed accordingly.
I experienced such collaboration as the Commissioner of Public Health in Connecticut, where I worked with public health and safety officers, as well as nuclear industry leaders in support of Connecticut’s Radiological Emergency Plan. The public health personnel worked closely with the Office of Emergency Management, as well as the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to keep our safety plan up to date and the state well-prepared in case of a radiation or nuclear accident.
Following Three Mile Island the government and the nuclear energy industry formed commissions to investigate and recommend how to avoid accidents in the future. From this came training and certification programs for plant personnel that demonstrated a great deal of cooperation between the industry and the government. Government and industry also came together following Fukushima to further enhance the protections already in place in the U.S. to further mitigate any chance of excessive or harmful radiation exposure.
As we move beyond Fukushima and continue to support an energy technology that is a vital part of our energy portfolio, one of the many lessons learned and communicated by the scientific community and the media, should include a greater understanding of radiation – how an effective partnership between science and government manages the actual risks and lets us all realize the many benefits of nuclear power.
To echo the words of Madame Curie, the woman who brought the benefits of radiation to light, “Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Dr. Joxel Garcia, MD, MBA, former US Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services, 2008-2009, Commissioner of Health for the State of Connecticut and US Representative to the World Health Organization Executive Board
