Is less radiation is emitted by a coal burning power plant than a nuclear power plant?

Many Americans today are concerned with the amount of radiation in the atmosphere and the health risk it poses to humans. Some believe it is a cause of global warming. For many years now, this myth has been discussed and analyzed. The concept of nuclear radiation is portrayed through cartoons, movies, and media. The average person's conception of this is that the radiation could cause cancer and other illnesses. For example, in the Simpsons Movie, a squirrel is caught in some nuclear radiation and ends up having three eyes. This is not true and cannot happen just by being exposed to this nuclear radiation. It does not mutate creatures and does not have the lime-green color that it is portrayed as having. On the other hand, coal is believed responsible for many problems such as mining accidents, acid rain, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientifically, the fly ash is formed when the coal is burned in boilers that generate steam in order for the power to generate. TENORM is generated when the organic materials are burned leaving minerals and naturally occurring radionuclides such as uranium, thorium, and potassium. TENORM isn't the only thing in coal. It also contains silicon, aluminum, iron, and calcium. These elements make up about 80 to 90 percent of all fly ash.

According to the magazine Scientific American, this myth is false. "Among the surprising conclusions: the waste produced by coal plants is actually more radioactive than that generated by their nuclear counterparts (Scientific American). The fly ash being emitted from the coal power plants actually carries 100 times more radiation into the environment than nuclear power plants producing the same amount of energy. Coal contains uranium and thorium which are both radioactive elements. When the coal is burned into fly ash, the uranium and thorium radiation levels are increased up to 10 times their original levels. Fly ash is the by-product from burning coal for electricity. Coal power plants used to just let the fly ash travel through the air out of the chimneys, but they now have to capture the fly ash and dispose of it elsewhere. It can get into the soil and water surrounding the coal power plant, affecting the crops and causing the food to become contaminated. "Americans living near coal-fired power plants are exposed to higher radiation doses than those living near nuclear power plants that meet government regulations" (Gabbard, ORNL). The people living within one-half mile to a mile away from the coal power plants have a better chance of ingesting a bit of radiation. The fly ash is also disposed of in landfills and abandoned mines and quarries. In 1978, scientists form the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) looked at the uranium and thorium content of fly ash from coal power plants. They also measured the radiation exposure levels around the coal power plants and compared it to the radiation exposure levels around the nuclear power plants. The result was that the estimated radiation exposure around the coal power plants was equal to or higher than the radiation exposure levels around the nuclear power plants. In conclusion, radiation from both coal burning power plants and nuclear power plants are not healthy but most people will not be harmed by it. Coal is slightly worse but not an extreme increase in the amount of radiation. It all comes down to the choice of the everyday small pollution effects from a coal burning power plant or the possible and unlikely chance of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown caused by some sort of accident at one of the nuclear power plants.