Are there any health hazards associated with the way the sun and a nuclear power plant produce energy?

As far as the sun, the biggest risk is if you are routinely in the sun unprotected for long periods of time, expecially if you get bad burns, you greatly increase your risk of skin cancer. This is due to high-energy UV rays that penetrate the atmosphere and can alter the genetic material in your skin cells, which occasionally can cause a cell to begin reproducing uncontrollably, causing a tumor. The higher energy radiation from the sun, such as gamma rays, are defelected by the earth's magnetic field, which protects us from extremely dangerous radiation. The UV that does get through however does pose a serious threat to your health if you spend a lot of time in the sun or get badly burned.





Nuclear plants pose a different concern. Nuclear material in nuclear plants consists of alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays. However, this radiation commonly associated with a nuclear plant is contained via multiple failsafe systems to prevent a nuclear leak. This radiation is not released to the atmosphere or envrionment in general, so basically you have more to fear from the possible negative health effects of the sun than you do from a nuclear plant.

Are there any health hazards associated with the way the sun and a nuclear power plant produce energy?
Radiation (solar and nuclear) are dangerous.





UV radiation from the sun, for example, causes skin cancers.





Nuclear radiation can be long-lived.





On the upside, neither one of these power sources produce greenhouse gases or other atmospheric pollutants.