Georgia Goes Nuclear

Charlie Fritschner 

I was highly alarmed when I read the introductory sentence to this article appearing in today’s Atlanta Journal Constitution:

“The figures were chilling. Cancer death rates for children and teens up 58 percent in the region around Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle since the nuclear facility went on line. Cancer death rates up 25 percent in Burke County, where the plant sits. Hundreds to die if two new reactors get built, as Georgia Power plans.”

Nuclear power?  Every study I’ve seen demonstrated quite remarkable safety and reliability, so long as operating procedures were followed?  Certainly nothing about cancer deaths from an operational plant. 

I know, I know, we all think of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island when we hear the words “nuclear reactor.”  We can thank our indoctrination in public schools and an alarmist media for this.  But lets remember, Three Mile Island actually caused no illnesses or deaths; and Chernobyl, of course, was a 30 year old reactor running over capacity within a crumbling Soviet infrastructure, operated by inept technicians who routinely ignored procedure.    

But the claims of this new report were bold indeed.  Was this study actually legitimate, I wondered anxiously but suspiciously??  As I suspected, not at all.   Several paragraphs down, we come to the crux of the article:

“[The study] didn’t use scientifically accepted controls, didn’t consider other explanations for cancer deaths and drew overreaching conclusions.

“‘The report has flaws,’ said Frank Bove, an epidemiologist and a member of Eco Action, which helped circulate the report. But he said it did show health problems in the area already overburdened with heavy industrial sites: ‘Our point is this: Why pile on?’”

Dr. Bove of “Eco Action” is a particularly deceived luddite.  Incredibly, he rightfully identifies a flawed report but continues to perpetuate the report’s misguided ideology. Why pile it on?  Dr. Bove, is this really the perspective from which you approach such matters?  As a concerned environmentalist, you should recognize the immense benefits of nuclear power.  It is safe, clean, and highly efficient.  Free your mind of this careless 1970s fear mongering.