Bob Zannelli said (restated here in my words) that the reduction of
pollution from power plants such that rates for pollution-induced health
problems are down near or below the rates for lifestyle-induced health
problems doesn't take into consideration CO2 emissions and hence global
warming issues, etc.
Absolutely correct. I didn't intend to speak to the CO2 issue because
that is not the question I was trying to answer. I was responding to
questions about coal versus nuclear with respect to cancer. We only
have to worry about rates of cancer, cardiopulmonary disease, and other
pollution-induced diseases if we live long enough for them to be the
cause of suffering and/or death. If we all die because of nuclear war
followed by nuclear winter, or from complications of global warming,
then there is no need to worry about pollution induced cancer.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu