Nuclear fallout? I blame Mr Burns from The Simpsons, says Atomic Energy Authority chair, Lady Judge
Nuclear power receives unfair criticism – not least because of The Simpsons, according to Lady Judge, Emeritus Chair at the Atomic Energy Authority.
‘You can’t see it, you can’t feel it, you forget that radiation is for X-rays and is medically very important,’ she says.
‘All you can remember is The Simpsons. People who grew up with The Simpsons’ cartoons think of the villain – the owner of the nuclear plant, Mr Burns. It’s ingrained in our heads that nuclear is bad, but the benefits far outweigh the detriments.
Nuclear: Atomic Energy Authority boss Lady Judge said: 'People who grew up with The Simpsons’ cartoons think of the villain – the owner of the nuclear plant, Mr Burns. It’s ingrained in our heads that nuclear is bad'
‘I have studied the statistics – the accident statistics in rail, aeroplanes, the big accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima – I’m an adviser to the company that has Fukushima.
‘There is a chance you could have a big accident, but if you do the real research, you’ll find that few people have lost their lives, compared with other things.’
Lady Judge sees nuclear energy as vital. ‘It is important to be energy secure and independent and not rely on other countries and sources of energy.
‘We were the country that started building nuclear power plants 60 years ago and we should retain that ability to keep people warm and the lights on.’
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