We have been living in the nuclear age now for over half a century. Since the first atomic bombs were developed, nuclear technology has provided governments with the ability to totally destroy the planet. Yet the technology has been put to positive use as an energy source and in certain areas of medicine. What are the benefits and risks associated with its use?

Nuclear

has always been a cause of terror among people since its inception and

during the

World War.

threat has been

escalated in the recent years with many countries entering the race to acquire

.

,

has the capability

completely annihilate the planet if used as a weapon, its positive

cannot be denied inadvertently.

essay is an attempt to explore the benefits and risks which are associated with the

of nuclear

.

On the positive side, it has been corroborated by many scientists that nuclear

has the potential to save

from the impending

crisis. The traditional fuel sources used by us

as coal, petroleum and diesel are non-renewable and

are depleting at an alarming rate due to our

on them. On top of that, they are

causing an irrevocable damage to the environment upon being burned since they release toxic gases into the atmosphere.

, nuclear

is not only an efficient source of

is

one of the cleanest sources.

, a single pellet of uranium can produce as much

as an entire coal plant can in a single day.

, the process of producing

with fission

does not

any detrimental impact on the environment as it leads to very insignificant amount of emissions.

, it would not be wrong to say that in future,

can prove to be the ideal alternative to satiate our

needs. Another useful application of

can be seen in the field of medical science, namely for the treatment and diagnostic purposes.

, radio surgery, which is a recently invented method, is both painless and less time-consuming than the conventional surgeries.

, chemotherapy, which is based on the same principle, is

being put to

to treat cancerous cells in human bodies. As for diagnostic purposes, the CT scans and x-rays used for scanning the human body,

work with radiation.

, irradiation, a process which utilizes radiations to preserve food for a long time is yet another

of nuclear tech.
On the negative side, the greater the number of

-power enabled countries is, the more the likelihood of a nuclear was

. The injudicious

of

for military purposes can result in the destruction of life as we know it. A perfect example of

would be the incidents

Hiroshima and Nagasaki of japan during world war two when the USA dropped nuclear bombs leading to the death of thousands of people. The risk of

being destroyed has

exacerbated today since the bombs which are developed these days are far more potent than the bombs used during that incident. What is more,

is

prone to misuse. To illustrate, dictatorial governments still exist today and they follow very narrow political and religious ideologies.

, they are less likely to exercise caution in the usage of the most powerful means of destroying their perceived enemies. In the same manner, if

falls into the hands of terrorists and extremist groups, they can

put it to

for their own agendas, leading to mass destruction.

, there is no viable option to dispose the nuclear waste safely as the waste can continue to emit radiation even after being expended

.

can pose a great danger to living beings living near the place where

waste is dumped.

, yet importantly, the risk of leakage sue to human error or any natural calamities is

associated with the usage of

tech.

incidents

in 1984 due to human negligence and

in 2012 due to tsunami and earthquake serve as memorable examples of

fact.