In 80 years of Nuclear power plants operation, we find 3 major accidents: one in USA (TMI 1979), one in Ukraine (Chernobyl 1986) and one in Japan (Fukushima 2011). Of These just the Chernobyl events can be classified as disaster, indeed at least 65* people died due to the blast and the radiation leak nearby the reactor. Instead In Fukushima accident just one death is attributed to radiation (19000 people died due to the earthquake and the tsunami).
Since i think that is not fair to talk about nuclear disaster without comparing it with other technologies, below i listed a (non complete) set of disasters related to other type of power plants.
*It is not possible to know the exact number of deaths due to radiation. there is a long debate about this, some estimations talk about a maximum total number of 4000 deaths obtained considering the dose absorbed by population and statistical estimation, this number correspond in an increase of 3% of cancers. These deaths are due to a change in environmental condition (radioactivity) and must be compared with the deaths by pollution, see below.
Index:
Recent events
2 July 2021 – Gas pipeline rupture in Gulf of Mexico
2 July 2021 – Explosion in Oil refinery in Romania
29 June 2021 – Gas pipeline explosion in Texas
22 June 2021 – Oil leak in sea near Taiwan
9 June 2021 – Coal mine collaps in Mexico
5 June 2021 – Accident in Coal mine in China
29 March 2021 – Explosion in Oil refinery in Indonesia
Centralia mine fire
In United States there is a coal mine which is burning since 1962, and will continue to burn for 250 years. Today 10 people live in Centralia, most of the town is abandoned (Original population: 1500 residents). For comparison today in Chernobyl live more or less 1000 people (Original population: 14000 residents). Next time you hear about Chernobyl livability think about the city with a secular burning mine.
Hydroelectric disasters
Vajont Dam failure (Italy 1963) – Deaths: 1917.
Banqiao Dam failure (China 1975) – Deaths: more than 85000.
Machchhu dam failure (India 1979) – Deaths: more than 1800.
Oroville Dam crisis (USA 2017) – Evaquation of 188000 people.
Gas-Oil disasters
Connecticut Power plant (Gas and Oil) explosion (USA 2010) – Deaths: 6, Injuries: fifty (due to the blast)
Viareggio Train derailment (Italy 2009) – Deaths: 32 due to explosion of liquefied petroleum gas (carried by the train) and fire propagation.
San Juanico tank explosion (Mexico 1984) – Explosion shock wave destroid a range of of 5 km – Deaths: 500.
Ufa disaster (Russia 1989) – A leak from a natural gas pipeline bring to an explosion of 0.25-10 kilotons (similar to Hiroshima nuclear bomb) – Deaths: 575 .
Connecticut gas power plant explosion (USA 2010) – Deaths: 6 due to the explosion.
Coal disasters
Carbon disaster are mostly related to explosions in mines:
Courrieres mine disaster (France 1906) – Deaths: 1099 due to an explosion of coal dust.
Monongah mine disaster (USA 1907) – Deaths: 362 due to an explosion.
Centralia mine disaster (USA 1947) – Deaths: 111 due to mine explosion.
Heilongjiang mine explosion (China 2009) – Deaths: 108.
Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill (USA 2008) – Deaths: around 40 plus 250 illnesses.
Pollution
In addition to deaths by accidents, fossile fuel plants kills people every day due to pollutants. According to Our World In Data website every years in the world dies 3.61 millions of people, see the chart below.
