Health risks of electricity generation: A view of the situation in the United Kingdom

The traditional reliance upon indigenous coal reserves for electricity generation in the United Kingdom has been partially supplanted by a significant nuclear, capacity and, for a period, oil fired capacity. The future may see the introduction of gas fired plants and additional nuclear capacity. A number of renewables could also contribute. In this respect the main options for the United Kingdom are on-shore wind, tidal power and off-shore wind. The paper summarizes progress on the evaluation of the health risks associated with each of these options. Risk estimations relate to circumstances as envisaged for large, new generating facilities. (author). 9 refs, 2 figs