How Nuclear Power Prevents Deaths

When it comes to energy, the safest option might also be the most misunderstood.

Say “nuclear power,” and people think of meltdowns, mushroom clouds, or radioactive suits. But here’s the surprise:

Nuclear energy may have prevented millions of deaths — not caused them.

That number doesn’t come from the nuclear industry — it’s based on peer-reviewed research from respected scientists.

The Study Behind the Number

In 2013, NASA climate scientist James Hansen and Columbia University researcher Pushker Kharecha published a peer-reviewed study in Environmental Science & Technology. They calculated that from 1971 to 2009, nuclear power helped prevent approximately 1.84 million premature deaths worldwide.

The reason? Air pollution — or rather, the lack of it, thanks to nuclear.

Fossil Fuels: A Hidden Killer

Fossil fuel combustion releases a toxic cocktail of pollutants, including:

• Fine particulate matter

• Sulfur dioxide

• Nitrogen oxides

• Mercury

• Greenhouse gases like CO₂

These pollutants contribute to heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, asthma, and other respiratory problems.

Coal, in particular, is a major culprit, yet it’s still used to produce a considerable share of global electricity.

The good news — every time nuclear energy replaces fossil fuels, especially coal, it reduces the air pollution that causes millions of early deaths each year.

And there’s more.

Nuclear plants produce zero air pollution and no greenhouse gases during normal operation. According to the study, nuclear power prevented the emission of 64 gigatonnes of CO₂-equivalent gases between 1971 and 2009.

That’s not just clean energy — that’s a massive public health win.