How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion? A Holistic Life-Cycle Analysis
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Nuclear fusion is a clean energy source that could prove an important addition to our energy mix if we can overcome previously unresolved engineering challenges. But as with any other energy source, it is important to understand how safe it is before we commercialize it. So, we had to ask: How safe is nuclear fusion really?
Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be safe. Holistically and throughout its life cycle, nuclear fusion is safe and beneficial for human and animal health, the environment, and the energy grid. It is significantly safer than fossil fuels and some other types of renewable energy.
Keep reading to find out how safe nuclear fusion is overall, holistically, and in terms of its life cycle. Then, we’ll describe nuclear fusion’s pros and cons, look at how effective and efficient it is, and determine how it can help mitigate climate change.
The Big Picture of the Safety of Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion, one of two ways to produce nuclear energy, is the generation of energy produced when lighter atoms are combined or fused to create larger and heavier atoms.
“Nuclear fusion: the process of joining two nuclei to produce energy.”
Cambridge Dictionary
Nuclear fusion faces an uncertain future because it is still in the research and development phase. There are currently no nuclear fusion reactors in operation that supply energy to our power grid, but the ones that are in operation are considered to be safe.
“Safety: the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury”
Oxford Dictionary
| How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion Overall | Overall, nuclear fusion is considered safe in terms of human and animal health, the environment, the energy grid, and through all stages of its life cycle. |
| How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion at a Holistic Level | Human and Animal Health: Nuclear fusion is considered safe due to the nature of fusion reactions and substantial precautionary measures in place. Environment: Nuclear fusion emits minimal greenhouse gasses and has a minimal effect on the environment, provided that proper siting of nuclear facilities and disposal of nuclear waste occurs. Energy Grid and Infrastructure: Nuclear fusion is not only safe, but it is also a beneficial addition to our energy grid and supporting infrastructure. |
| How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion Across Its Life-Cycles | Building: Safe work practices and proper training can mitigate the risks associated with the building stage of nuclear fusion. Operating and Maintaining: Nuclear fusion is generally considered safe to operate and maintain. Building Back: This final stage is considered to be safe overall, with the hazard of handling, containing, and disposing of radioactive reactor components able to be mitigated with proper procedures and safe work practices. |
| How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion in Comparison to Other Types of Energy | Nuclear fusion is considered one of our safest forms of energy because it is not based on chain reactions and therefore cannot cause a nuclear accident or be used to construct nuclear weapons. |
Here’s How Safe Nuclear Fusion Is Holistically and Across Its Life-Cycles
One way to combat the current global climate crisis threatening Earth’s environmental, economic, and social health is to transition away from traditional fossil fuels and toward clean energy sources, such as nuclear fusion.
Just as with any energy source, it is important to understand how safe nuclear fusion is before we implement it on a commercial scale. This involves analyzing all aspects of nuclear fusion.
For this reason, we have split our analysis into the following categories:
- Overall safety
- Holistic safety
- Life-cycle safety
- Comparative safety
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion Overall
Overall, nuclear fusion is considered minimally dangerous in terms of human and animal health, the environment, the energy grid, and through all stages of its life cycle. The most common risks include ionizing radiation and nuclear waste.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion at a Holistic Level
Nuclear fusion faces an uncertain future. Although it can produce large amounts of relatively emissions-free energy, it is also still deeply rooted in the research and development phase and generates nuclear waste, albeit in small amounts. If we are to incorporate nuclear fusion power into our energy grid in the future, it is important to understand how safe it is at a holistic level.
“Holistic: relating to the whole of something or to the total system instead of just to its parts”
Cambridge Dictionary
To understand how safe nuclear fusion is holistically, we must take into account how it affects us, the environment, and our technology.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion When It Comes to Human and Animal Health
Overall, nuclear fusion is considered safe when it comes to human and animal health due to the nature of fusion reactions and substantial precautionary measures in place.
Two of the main concerns associated with nuclear energy as a whole involve ionizing radiation and the threat of nuclear disasters.
First, ionizing radiation is a form of energy that removes electrons from surrounding materials, damaging DNA in the process. It causes radiation sickness and death at high doses and cardiovascular disease, cataracts, sterility, and cancer at low doses.
- Nuclear fusion generates ionizing radiation via the release of neutrons during the fusion reaction. These neutrons are dangerous if humans come into contact with them, but turning off the powerplant causes the production of neutrons to cease within milliseconds.
- In addition, radioactive byproducts are relatively short-lived (50-100 years) when compared to the byproducts of a nuclear fission powerplant (thousands of years). This is because the input materials of fusion have a much shorter half-life than the input materials of fission. Tritium has a half-life of only 12 years, whereas the half-life of uranium is 700 million years. This means fusion byproducts are less radioactive for a shorter amount of time, making it safer for everyone involved.
Second, nuclear fusion cannot cause a nuclear disaster because fusion reactions are not based on chain reactions.
- Achieving and maintaining a nuclear fusion reaction is extremely difficult because there is only enough fuel present in the reactor to sustain the reaction for a few seconds at any given time.
- If there ever is a loss of pressure or temperature inside the reactor, the plasma cools and the fusion reactor shuts down, preventing a chain reaction from occurring.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion When It Comes to the Environment
Nuclear fusion emits minimal greenhouse gas emissions and has a minimal effect on the environment, provided that proper siting of nuclear facilities and disposal of nuclear waste occurs.
Nuclear fusion produces little to no greenhouse gas emissions and toxic byproducts, making it one of our most environmentally friendly sources of energy. One study on tokamak fusion power plants found that they emit less CO2 than photovoltaic solar systems and just about double those from nuclear fission reactors.
Nuclear fusion is much safer for the environment when compared to nuclear fission because the waste from nuclear fusion is stable and has a relatively short half-life.
A nuclear fusion reaction does not produce long-lived nuclear wastes. The only byproducts are helium (an inert gas) and tritium. Tritium is classified as low or intermediate-level nuclear waste, which is significantly less dangerous and radioactive than the high-level nuclear waste (e.g., uranium mill tailings and spent (used) reactor fuel) produced by nuclear fission.
In addition, the radioactive byproducts of fusion (tritium) are relatively short-lived when compared to the byproducts of nuclear fission (uranium). This is because tritium has a half-life of only 12 years, whereas the half-life of uranium is 700 million years. This means fusion byproducts are less radioactive for a significantly shorter amount of time, making it safer for the environment.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion When It Comes to the Energy Grid and Infrastructure
Nuclear fusion is not only safe, but it would also be a beneficial addition to our energy grid and supporting infrastructure.
Nuclear fusion is classified as a centralized energy source, meaning electricity is generated at a large scale at one location and then transmitted to wherever it is needed. Centralized energy sources are incorporated into our traditional energy grid in the following manner:
- Power plants generate electricity
- Transformers step up voltage for transmission
- Transmission lines transport electricity over long distances
- Neighborhood transformer steps down voltage
- Transformers on poles step down electricity before it enters houses
Typically, centralized systems negatively impact the environment because they largely depend on nonrenewable resources (i.e. coal, oil, natural gas) to generate electricity. These materials release toxic greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere which gradually break down the ozone layer.
But although nuclear fusion is a nonrenewable resource, it is also one of our cleanest sources of energy, producing little to no greenhouse gas emissions and toxic byproducts.
If we can overcome the main challenges to nuclear fusion, incorporating it into our energy grid can displace some of the energy currently provided by fossil fuels, which is safer and is a net benefit for our planet.
Nuclear fusion can also compensate for shifts in renewable energy output:
- Two of the main drawbacks associated with renewable energy are intermittency and lower levels of energy output because renewable energy sources are often location-specific and influenced by weather patterns.
- Nuclear fusion being a centralized energy source means it is more predictable, dependable, and constant.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion Across Its Life-Cycles
To understand how safe nuclear fusion is, we must look at its life cycle and how safe each stage is. This includes assessing the safety of nuclear fusion’s building, operating and maintaining, and building back stages.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion in the Building Stage
The building stage of nuclear fusion includes constructing the power plant and the nuclear fusion reactor.
Nuclear fusion reactors can consist of millions of components including, but not limited to, magnets, coils, antennas, diagnostic instruments, cryopumps, thermal shields, and beam injectors as well as the transmission lines, transformers, and substations required for delivering electricity to consumers.
Safe work practices and proper training can mitigate the risks associated with the building stage of nuclear fusion. Some of the most common workplace hazards include those involving lifting, trips, falls, electricity, and ladders.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion in the Operating and Maintaining Stage
The operating and maintaining stage of nuclear fusion includes the process by which lighter atoms are combined or fused to create larger and heavier atoms.
Nuclear fusion is considered safe to operate and maintain.
Nuclear fusion power plants generally operate in the following manner:
- Deuterium (D) and Tritium (T) are introduced into a fusion reactor and heated upwards of 150 million degrees Celsius
- The deuterium and tritium fuse together, forming an electrically charged gas known as plasma and releasing massive amounts of energy and neutrons
- A lithium blanket surrounding the core of the fusion reactor absorbs the kinetic energy of the neutrons, causing the blanket to heat up
- As the blanket heats up, the lithium is transformed into tritium (which is used to fuel the reaction) and helium
- The energy, in the form of heat, is collected by the coolant (water, helium, or Li-Pb eutectic) flowing through the blanket
- The heat can be used to generate electricity
Because nuclear fusion is not based on a chain reaction, the fusion reaction can come to a halt in a fraction of a second, and there is no possibility of uncontrolled radioactive material release.
We can further increase the safety of nuclear fusion by applying relevant safety standards of nuclear fission to nuclear fusion. Because fusion is still in the research and development stage, there are no concrete standards yet specifically for fusion.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion in the Building Back Stage
The building back stage of nuclear fusion involves decommissioning the nuclear facility and restoring/repurposing the land.
Nuclear fusion is generally considered safe in the building back stage.
Nuclear fusion produces nuclear waste when high-energy neutrons activate the walls of the plasma vessel. Upon decommissioning the facility, these walls must be temporarily stored until the radioactivity decreases enough to not be a risk.
Fortunately, the radioactive byproducts of fusion (tritium) are relatively short-lived when compared to the byproducts of nuclear fission (uranium). This is because tritium has a half-life of only 12 years, whereas the half-life of uranium is 700 million years.
This means it takes less time to decommission, remediate, and restore nuclear fusion power plant sites. And having less radioactivity makes the building back stage of nuclear fusion inherently safer.
How Safe Is Nuclear Fusion in Comparison to Other Types of Energy
Nuclear fusion is considered one of our safest forms of energy and is possibly even safer than nuclear fission, which boasts one of the lowest death rates in terms of accidents and air pollution. This is because, unlike nuclear fission, nuclear fusion is not based on chain reactions and therefore cannot cause a nuclear accident or be used to construct nuclear weapons.
As a whole, nuclear energy is considered very safe. Nuclear energy has a death rate of 0.03 deaths per terawatt-hour of electricity produced, the second-lowest out of all energy types.
To put it into perspective:
- A town powered entirely by nuclear energy with a population of 150,000 that uses one terawatt-hour of electricity per year would experience only 1 death from nuclear energy every 33 years.
- If that same town was powered entirely by coal, roughly 1,250 people would die prematurely in the same amount of time, mostly from air pollution – that’s about 25 people every year.
- In short, nuclear energy results in 99.9% fewer deaths than brown coal.
Nuclear fusion is one of our safest forms of energy because it is safer than nuclear fission, which already boasts one of the lowest death rates per unit of electricity generation from accidents and air pollution.
What Are The 6 Pros and 3 Cons of Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion has a low carbon footprint, cannot cause a nuclear accident or be used to produce nuclear weapons, uses readily available and energy-dense materials, and generates few waste products.
However, nuclear fusion generates nuclear waste and is still in the research and development phase because it is difficult to start and maintain fusion reactions in a laboratory setting.
What Are the 6 Pros of Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion has a low carbon footprint, cannot cause a nuclear accident or be used to produce nuclear weapons, uses readily available and energy-dense materials, and generates few waste products.
| 6 Pros of Nuclear Fusion | Quick Facts |
| #1: Nuclear fusion has a low carbon footprint | Nuclear fusion produces little to no greenhouse gas emissions and toxic byproducts, making it one of our most environmentally friendly sources of energy. |
| #2: Nuclear fusion cannot cause a nuclear accident | Nuclear fusion reactions are not based on chain reactions and therefore cannot cause a nuclear accident. |
| #3: Nuclear fusion cannot be used to produce nuclear weapons | Nuclear fusion cannot be used to produce nuclear reactions because it does not use fissile material and requires only a small amount of fuel. |
| #4: Nuclear fusion uses readily available and energy dense materials | In theory, it is possible to produce one terajoule of energy with just a few grams each of deuterium and tritium, which are readily available and easy to harvest. |
| #5: Nuclear fusion generates few waste products | A nuclear fusion reaction does not produce CO2 or long-lived nuclear wastes. The only byproducts are helium (an inert gas) and tritium. |
| #6: Nuclear fusion promotes energy independence and energy security | Nuclear fusion can help us transition away from fossil fuels and towards an energy-independent future. |
What Are the 3 Cons of Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion generates nuclear waste and is still in the research and development phase because it is difficult to start and maintain fusion reactions in a laboratory setting.
| 3 Cons of Nuclear Fusion | Quick Facts |
| #1: Nuclear fusion generates nuclear waste | Nuclear fusion generates low and intermediate levels of nuclear waste when high-energy neutrons activate the walls of the plasma vessel. |
| #2: Nuclear fusion is still in the research and development phase | There are currently more than 10 stellarators and 60 tokamaks in operation worldwide but no operating reactors provide energy to our power grid. |
| #3: Nuclear fusion reactions are difficult to start and maintain | The two main challenges to nuclear fusion are maintaining the reaction and generating more energy from the reaction than was required to start the reaction. |
How Effective and Efficient Is Nuclear Fusion
In terms of effectiveness, nuclear fusion effectively generates nuclear energy because it has a low carbon footprint, cannot cause a nuclear accident or be used to produce nuclear weapons, and promotes energy independence and security. However, it is also still deeply in the research and development phase.
In terms of efficiency, nuclear fusion efficiently generates nuclear energy while producing very few waste products, but the fusion reaction itself is difficult to start and maintain in a laboratory setting.
Nuclear fusion is effective because:
- Nuclear fusion uses readily available and extremely energy-dense input materials.
- Nuclear fusion produces little to no greenhouse gas emissions and toxic byproducts, making it one of our most environmentally friendly sources of energy.
- Nuclear fusion reactions are not based on chain reactions and therefore cannot cause a nuclear accident or be used to produce nuclear weapons.
- Nuclear fusion can help us transition away from fossil fuels and towards an energy-independent future.
However, a main drawback associated with nuclear fusion is that it is still very much in the research and development phase because the fusion process is difficult to start, maintain, and control in a laboratory setting.
Nuclear fusion is efficient because nuclear fusion reactions do not produce CO2 or long-lived nuclear wastes. The only byproducts are helium (an inert gas) and tritium.
However, nuclear fusion can lack efficiency because it is difficult to maintain the fusion reaction and generate more energy from the reaction than was required to start the reaction. For these reasons, fusion has not achieved commercial viability to date.
How Can Nuclear Fusion Help Mitigate Climate Change
Climate change is a severe, long-term consequence of fossil fuel combustion. If left untreated, atmospheric CO2 can remain there for tens of thousands of years and exacerbate the negative effects of climate change. Nuclear fusion emits less CO2 upon operation than fossil fuels and can therefore reduce our total emissions.
How Is Climate Change Defined
Climate change is arguably the most severe, long-term global impact of CO2. Every year, we emit approximately 37 billion tons of CO2. The carbon found in fossil fuels reacts with oxygen in the air to produce CO2.
“Climate change: changes in the earth’s weather, including changes in temperature, wind patterns, and rainfall, especially the increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere that is caused by the increase of particular gasses, especially carbon dioxide.”
Oxford Dictionary
When carbon enters the atmosphere, it absorbs sunlight and solar radiation, trapping the heat and acting as an insulator for the planet.
Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s temperature has risen a little more than 1 degree Celsius (°C), or 2 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). Between 1880-1980 the global temperature rose by 0.07°C every 10 years. This rate has more than doubled since 1981, with a current global annual temperature rise of 0.2°C, or 0.36°F, for every decade.
How Does Nuclear Fusion Specifically Help Mitigate Climate Change
The global average concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere today registers at 419 parts per million (ppm), the highest ever recorded. Nuclear fusion can help lower this concentration because it can replace some of the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas) with a cleaner form of renewable energy.
Estimates suggest that nuclear fusion alone could generate up to 4 times more energy per kilogram of fuel than nuclear fission and nearly 4 million times more energy than burning oil or coal. Because it is so energy-dense, a little of it can potentially offset a lot of our fossil fuel usage.
Nuclear fusion can reduce CO2 emissions, and the more we reduce CO2 emissions, the more we combat the negative effects associated with climate change including temperature rise, sea-level rise, ice melting, and ocean acidification. When these rates are slowed, the earth’s biodiversity does not have to struggle to adapt to temperature and pH changes. People will not be displaced due to the flooding of coastal areas. And icebergs will continue to provide climate regulation.
Final Thoughts
At a holistic level, nuclear fusion is considered to be a safe form of energy in terms of human and animal health, the environment, and the energy grid and supporting infrastructure. It has a low carbon footprint and can be a beneficial addition to our power grid that can displace fossil fuel usage and improve air quality.
Nuclear fusion is also considered to be safe during its entire life cycle (building, operating and maintaining, and building back stages). Radiation exposure and common workplace hazards can be mitigated by proper training, safe work practices, and appropriate nuclear containment and disposal methods. Because nuclear fusion cannot cause a nuclear accident, it is one of our safest forms of energy.
Forging a sustainable planet for future generations will require us to increase clean energy usage, and nuclear fusion is a great place to start.
Stay impactful,
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