Review article
COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH RISKS FROM THE ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCTION IN VARIOUS POWER SYSTEMS
Aleksandar Racz
; Town of Zagreb Institute for the Health Protection, Health Ecology Dept, Zagreb
Abstract
The work is giving a survey of comparative assessments of health risks the general population is exposed to by different technologies of electric power production.
The direct as well as indirect impacts on the routine activities and accidents are pointed to, the effects have been considered over short-term, middle-term and long-term intervals. The size and significance of health risks are studied in all the phases of the technological process.
The group of technologies have been analyzed: 1) the ones using fossil fuels or biomass (coal, oil, gas, lumber..), 2) the ones using sun, wind and water as sources for power production, 3) the ones using nuclear fuels. The size and significance of the risks are assessed for every one of the studied groups of technologies.
For the sake of the comparison of various technologies the standard health-statistical rates (mortality) have been abandoned and comparison has been made with regard to the number of deaths per standard unit of the production of electric power.
The work has been concluded with the assessments of health and environmentally most acceptable technologies (hydro-power plants) as well as with the pointing to the health dangerous ones (thermo power plants using coal, gas or oil fuels).
Keywords
electric power production; health risks; health risk assessment; types of power plants
Hrčak ID:
139397
URI
Publication date:
15.1.1994.
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