Through extensive research a link has been found between the rate of diagnoses of certain cancers and the proximity of power plants. The incubation time for cancer is "50 years" of exposure to radiation. Everyone is susceptible to the radiation but it is more likely to affect older people and younger children. Some of the cancers that are highly affected by the radiation are thyroid cancer, breast cancer, bone cancer, leukemia, a sarcoma, liver cancer and testicular cancer. Along with causing testicular cancer the radiation can alter ones genes causing mutations in the next generation.
One of the poisons that have caused the rate of cancer to rise is Iodine 131. This is a chemical that has been released at nuclear accidents all around the world, however it only lasts for 6 weeks. It enters the body through the lungs and the stomach as it deposits itself in leafs which people then eat. The nutrients and poisons travel throughout the body and in the thyroid they cause cancer. As a result of one of the nuclear accidents more than 2000 children have had to have their thyroids removed due to thyroid cancer.
Strontium 90 is another one of the poisons, this one lasts much longer than Iodine 131. This chemical lasts for 600 years. It concentrated in the milk of mammals and in humans it can cause breast cancer, bone cancer and leukemia. It causes breast cancer from being concentrated in the breast and causes bone cancer and leukemia by being past through the breast milk to the infant. Cesium 137 also lasts for 600 years. It deposits itself in the muscle and causes a muscle cancer, a sarcoma.
One of the most deadly elements is in nuclear energy. This element is Plutonium 239, less than 1 millionth of a gram is deadly to humans. Along with being so deadly it lasts for 500,000 years continuing to cause cancer all those years. In each nuclear power plant over 200 kg is made each year which is enough to wipe out the entire population of Earth. When it enters the body it is stored in the liver causing liver cancer. Not only does it cause liver cancer though it also causes bone cancer as it is stored in the bone. It can enter through the placenta of an unborn baby and cause mutations. Another way it affects the future generation is through depositing itself in the testicles and causing mutations that way. Quite obviously nuclear energy is not the answer, it causes cancer.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0415-23.htm
I can't believe people who run these plants think its okay to release poisons into the air we breathe. Its really sick if you think about it. Cancer is a disease that needs to be capped, and decreased in numbers, so poisoning the air isn't helping all that much. Good post Gabby its a great issue to bring to mind.
ReplyDeleteWow that is crazy! I didn't know that plutonium is that dangerous to humans. Maybe if people who own or work in the kinds of plants heard that these elements are dangerous maybe they would shutdown their plants.
ReplyDeleteI have thought about this before. (I almost devoted my blog to this! - Great minds, Gabby) Wiscasset used to have Maine Yankee, a nuclear power plant. A lot of people, well ENOUGH people, in the area surrounding Wiscasset have been diagnosed with cancer. In fact, a few people that I went to middle school with were diagnosed and one student even passed away a few years ago because of cancer.
ReplyDeleteHow many people do you think have died because the cancers they have gotten from nuclear plants. What can the plants do to lower their emissions of these dangerous chemicals? Do they even try to lower these emissions?? Really interesting post.
ReplyDeleteCancer is such a major infliction of the world's people. It is crazy that a disease can have an incubation rate of 50 years for radiation! It seems like all disease effect younger children and older people these days (everything from the flu to the chicken pocks). Nuclear energy is bad in more ways then just affecting the human body. Nuclear waste isn't even disposable and is very harmful to the environment.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting subject. Hopefully we can find someway to stop all of this cancer causing radiation. Maybe with these facts we could find some other explanation for other cancers and illnesses.
ReplyDeleteOk, first I'm going to say that this blog was super long! Haha! And second, I'm going to say that this is a really scary subject! Cancer scares everyone, and it's not cool that some of the energy sources we use are causing an illness that they haven't found a cure for yet! I'm thinking that we need to stop using this source of energy and start using, oh I don't know...the wind or something! Haha
ReplyDeleteWell written and very informative, mad me think more about nuclear energy.
ReplyDelete