Top 10 myths about nuclear power

Despite its 50-plus-year history, nuclear power still struggles to squirm free of its reputation of danger, expense and unsustainability, remaining as contentious a topic as ever.
However, as concern over climate change outstrips fears over nuclear safety, grudging support for nuclear power and its contribution to lower greenhouse gas emissions continues to grow.
So what are the top 10 myths holding back the development of nuclear power to date? Following are the leading objections:

1. Nuclear reactors are unsafe, as exemplified by the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters — A 2001 study by the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland revealed that nuclear had the best safety record of all energy sources, causing 31 deaths, compared with 4,000 deaths caused by hydropower. During the nuclear reactor meltdown in Fukushima, the highest level of radiation that workers were exposed to was 250 mSv (millisieverts), which increases the risk of cancer by just 4-5%.
2. Nuclear energy makes only a minor contribution to world energy needs — It in fact accounts for 14% of world electricity.