Deaths Per TWH By Energy Source. (Surprise, Nuclear is the safest!)

Next Big Future ^ | March 13, 2011 | Next Big Future

[PanzerKardinal]

Comparing deaths/TWh for all energy sources

[...]with one new death that is somewhat nuclear energy related (a death at one of the japanese nuclear plants following the 8.9 earthquake) the statistics are not changed. Japan should have had sealed backup diesel generators or updated some of their designs.

However, nuclear still compares very, very well to the other energy sources.

The air pollution data is mainly from the World Health Organization and the European study Externe. The World Health Organization compiled peer reviewed health studies on air pollution from many institutions. Occupational health and safety statistics track the deaths of workers in the different industries.

Energy Source / Death Rate (deaths per TWh)

Coal – world average / 161 (26% of world energy, 50% of electricity)

Coal – China / 278

Coal – USA / 15

Oil / 36 (36% of world energy)

Natural Gas/ 4 (21% of world energy)

Biofuel/Biomass / 12

Peat / 12

Solar (rooftop) / 0.44 (less than 0.1% of world energy)

Wind / 0.15 (less than 1% of world energy)

Hydro / 0.10 (europe death rate, 2.2% of world energy)

Hydro - world including Banqiao)/ 1.4 (about 2500 TWh/yr and 171,000 Banqiao dead)

Nuclear / 0.04 (5.9% of world energy)

[PanzerKardinal]

After listening to everybody, I thought nuclear would be killing people left and right.

But surprisingly more people die falling off roof installing solar panels then die from nuclear reactors.

[ClearCase_guy]

Thanks!! I was looking for just this information a few days ago and couldn’t find it. Good to have!

[oh8eleven]

But surprisingly more people die ...
... in the back seat of Ted Kennedy's car then die from nuclear reactors.

[fhayek]

Proportionally, more people die from windmills than from nuclear. I’ll bet that that Don Quixote character had a hand in this.

[PENANCE]

A quick google search reveals that despite leftist claims that as many as a million people will die as a result of radiation from Chernobyl, only 50-60 people have ACTUALLY died. About 80% (47 people) were workers killed at the plant in the initial accident.

So, had the Fukushima reactor experienced a Chernobyl-like accident, the Japanese could have (at worst) expected a <50 deaths — versus the 30,000 people dead or missing from the quake and tsunami. Yet as soon as trouble reared its head at the nuke plant, the MSM forgot all about the rest of the devastation in Japan.

[PENANCE]

On, Rocinante!