[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

At the same time, how many workers are confirmed as dead in accidents in coal mines, oil extraction, open cast mining, oil refining etc. ?

Worth comparing.

Uranium Mining - Reaching Critical Will Factsheet

According to reports by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP), work-related deaths in uranium mines are estimated at between 5, 500 deaths (for radiation workers @ 3 mSv) to 37, 500 deaths (for radiation workers @ 20 mSv) per million workers a year.

This compared with deaths in the manufacturing industry (estimated at 110 deaths per year per million workers) and the construction industry (estimated at 164 deaths per million workers per year)*.

* ICRP reports ICRP27/ICRP60.

As with coal and its emissions, nuclear radiation can be a slow killer, which means that many deaths do not show up in statistics.

One of the most important findings of an inquiry within the USA Department of Energy in 1989 was that low doses of radiation, spread over a number of years, are just as dangerous as acute exposure. It means that the model used by the ICRP to determine the acceptable levels of exposure for workers is wrong. Science today understands what it did not fully comprehend in 1945 or perhaps even in 1968: there is no safe level of radiation.

IMO, humanity should pay more attention to wasting less and improving the efficiency of existing power plants (all types), instead of building more and more. As Pale mentioned, RE isn't ready to jump in and take over starting today, but it can, and should, be prioritized. I know that suddenly closing all power plants is not possible, but they can be upgraded, then phased out over 50-100 years, while renewables gradually take over.