How safe is European nuclear power?

[Éireann go Brách]

How safe are European Nuclear sites?
Especially How safe are Uk and French sites?
By safe I mean the risk of a release into the Enivronment of radioactive material which poses a signifcant risk to health over a wide area?

Lets imagine worst case scenarios

1: Natural disater

2: Techincal Fault

3: Sabotage ( radicalised worker)

4: War (eg Libya scud for example or the Israel pre-emtive attack on saddams plant in Iraq)

5: Terrorism

6: Cyber attack (eg the Stuxnet worm which Attacked Irans Nuclear sites)

7: Human error

It looks to me that these sites just are not safe from the manifold threats
against them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_safety

[Éireann go Brách]

Image map of british nuclear sites

[seabhcan]

Nuclear is not dangerous.

If someone were to blow up Intel or Analog devices, official environmental impact studies show that it would render about 30% of Ireland uninhabitable for generations.

That is pure chemical fallout - not a radioactive isotope in sight. Yet we are worried about imaginary nuclear dangers.

[Ringsend Charlie]

Image map of british nuclear sites

The locations say it all.

Nuclear Power is just a subsidy racket, that some people latch on to because "dem hippies don't like it so I'll back it". Its a big business ticket in receipt of big tax payer funds. Scam.

[Redstorm]

The locations are to keep it away from major population areas and to be near water. Whats so wrong with that.

[Éireann go Brách]

The locations are to keep it away from major population areas and to be near water. Whats so wrong with that.

UK coastal areas are vurnable to flooding, tsumani, coastal tidal surges and hurricances.

Can these plants withstand the worst-case scenerios?

[seabhcan]

UK coastal areas are vurnable to flooding, tsumani, coastal tidal surges and hurricances.

Can these plants withstand the worst-case scenerios?

Exactly 0% of the victims in Japan's tsunami died due to nuclear fallout. 100% died due to the failure of other types of infrastructure. They were washed away, our got crushed by collapsing buildings.

Maybe we should stop building cities on the coast?

[Harmonica]

European nukes as safe as anywhere. Heavy industry such as steel or aluminium plants are also located on the coast for various reasons. Pollution from fossil fuel plants is killing a lot more than Nuclear power every year. If the UK gets hit by a tsunami nuclear fall out will be the least of their worries - also we'd likely be hit at the same time & we have no defences.

Apparently increases in the supply of gas are leading private investors to turn away from nuclear but I suppose that might change.

[jcdf]

UK coastal areas are vurnable to flooding, tsumani, coastal tidal surges and hurricances.

Can these plants withstand the worst-case scenerios?

Nothing can withstand the worst-case scenerio. If the the worst-case scenerio happened, radioactive isotopes would be the least of your worries.

[Redstorm]

No more vunerable than anyother type Japan is an isolated incident that for the best part has been brought under control if it had been another kind of power plant oil or gas for example it could of blown up and caused more deaths, more people die every year due to the coal industry than where ever killed by nuclear power in its history nuclear is safer and quiet frankly most of the globe have no choice but to use it now and in the future..