Fukushima Aftermath/Public health impacts of nuclear power plants

Relative human exposure from nuclear vs. fossil fuels
Relative radiation exposures
 * Nuclear                                         .004
 * Natural terrestrial radiation                 240
 * Naturally occurring in human body (bones, etc.)  40

Japan and the Future of Nuclear Energy

Public health impacts
The public health effects of a nuclear power plant are far less than that of coal, lignite, oil, gas and even photovoltaic. Only wind power weighs in with lower numbers in terms of the parameters of
 * years of life lost
 * respiratory hospital admissions
 * cerbrovascular hospital admissions (stroke)
 * congestive heart failure
 * and others.

In terms of lost activity days, the comparisons were stark:


 * 1303 for coal
 * 12,248 for oil
 * 1446 for gas
 * 1977 for photovoltaic
 * 314 nuclear.

Similar results obtained for years of life lost