I think most of this has been said already but if you have 5 minutes it is an interesting article.
A quote from it.
One recent paper estimated that nuclear power has prevented 1.84 million air-pollution-related deaths globally.
and from one of the responses
More people have died in America installing rooftop solar, than have ever died from commercial nuclear power. (although there is no reference quoted for this)
As the article says, there were (small) working molten salt reactors back in the '60s. The fact that no-one building large commercial plant ever went down that route should tell you something.
It's not trivial to work out total deaths associated with nuclear power. You need to include lung cancer in uranium miners, and these are not sudden deaths like falling off a roof, it's about reduced life expectancy.
I'm confident that nuclear has provided big benefits in air pollution, but splitting air pollution "deaths" (or more exactly reduced life expectancy) between transport, the chemical industry, and electricity generation is complex.
Your analogy with facebook is flawed; facebook was a startup at a time when there was nothing else quite like it, whereas there is a large and relatively mature nuclear industry now.
See the link below
Generation IV designs include molten salt reactors. They are also proposed as the basis for thorium reactors.
This site has done the work:
Colin Bignell
Mostly that in the 60s a reactor that *didn't* produce weapons grade plutonium was something the DOD were not going to fund :-)
no more radiaoctive than any other mine really. yellowcake - which is already processed - is not particularly hazardous.
And these guys are not promising anything new. Just looking to do with better tools what was done in a research way back in the 60s.
I happen to think thorium has a future, but its way off yet. There's lots of little nasty issue that need to be nailed down.
I'm sure its true though. However, although myself, I'm a fan of Nuclear, the issue of what happens when the plant is at the end of its life still seems to be a major issue cost wise.
Brian
Doesn't seem to be a problem for the coal industry. Maybe because there there is no obvious large single bill for one place. Instead you have lots of relatively little ones spread out over a wide area and time paying for the subsidence...
Only for previously built stations.
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