Anecdotal stories from industrial accidents are upsetting, but why those involving the nuclear industry are perceived to be worse than those from other industries is illogical, but why?
For example, the Piper Alpha oil rig explosion which also occurred in the eighties, and killed 167 men is rarely brought up in discussions of safety, suggesting a widespread lack of understanding of facts.
People feel less fearful about a perceived risk if they feel in control of it (eg driving), or the hazard has been normalised (e.g. car accidents). The nuclear fear example often cited is that people don’t want another Chernobyl. Yet, apart from the 28 staff and emergency workers killed from direct impact or exposure, even this – the worst nuclear accident – caused, for the most part, an exposure to radiation levels comparable to, or a few times higher than annual levels of natural background.
The Oxford Martin School Radiation Restatement written in 2017 has estimated 15 statistical thyroid cancer deaths are likely to be attributable to increased exposure to radiation from this incident.
Nuclear Accidents: Professor Brown and his student Chirp, discuss high profile accidents in the media. View animated version here
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