'N-waste to haunt US for generations'

In an interview with Press TV, Paul Gunter, president of Beyond Nuclear in the US, explains both the risks posed by the pursuit of nuclear energy and the actual value of this type of energy, which debunk the industry propaganda machine. Following is a transcript of that interview.

Press TV: Why should Americans be concerned about nuclear power plants in their country?

Paul Gunter: The idea of splitting the atom to boil water is an extremely poor way -- a dangerous and inefficient way -- to generate electricity.

There is so much waste heat energy that is generated by nuclear power that only 33 percent of heat generated by splitting the atom actually goes to making electricity.

The other 67 percent has to be gotten rid of into the atmosphere or into the water. So you have this tremendous amount of waste from heat and you have this tremendous amount of radiation that is generated in splitting the atoms.

Really we are concerned about it being very inefficient; it's a little like using a cannon to ring a door bell - to use nuclear power to boil water.

Press TV: Why is nuclear power a problem?

Paul Gunter: Of most concern, electricity is merely a fleeting by-product of nuclear power plants. The real legacy -- the lasting product of nuclear power plants -- is nuclear waste, which will be a hazard to future generations who will not get one watt of electricity, but will get this toxic legacy for millions of years.

We will pass this problem on to generations to come while we can benefit from electricity today. The problem of nuclear waste will last virtually forever.

Press TV: What is the value of nuclear energy?

Paul Gunter: Both nuclear power and nuclear weapons make our world a much more dangerous place -- particularly now, as we are seeing from the Fukushima accident in Japan. The consequences of the radiation being released from this accident are not just limited to Japan. They are going into the ocean, going into the atmosphere, and they have consequences that reach well beyond the shores of Japan.

Press TV: What are the health concerns of radiation?

Paul Gunter: Concerning radiation exposure, you should understand that there is no safe dose. Any tiny does increases your risk to contract cancer, genetic mutations, disturbance of the DNA genetic code: birth defects.

Press TV: Why do Americans seem to be in the dark about what is really going on with nuclear energy in their country?

Paul Gunter: The average person really doesn't understand much about nuclear power because there has been a series of myths about nuclear power. At first, we were told that the atomic power plants were the peaceful atom; and then we learned the fact that they could be generated to produce materials for nuclear weapons. We were told that atomic power would be too cheap to meter, it would be so inexpensive. And now, there is no other more expensive way of boiling water than by the splitting of the atom. And now they're telling us that nuclear power can be used as a solution to climate change, but in fact, there are much safer, cleaner, cheaper and quicker ways through the sun and the wind and energy efficiency to achieve those goals and still find peace in the world.

The nuclear industry has so much money that they can sell their propaganda; they can buy politicians; they can spread these untruths about nuclear power, and really it's a question of learning what the real risks are and what the real costs of nuclear power are.