• LWR: fuel price • Fusion: scientific uncertainty In comparing costs, it should be noted that the SPS Reference System was developed to guide the assessments and has not been optimized with regard to environmental, economic, or societal benefits. This is also true for the reference systems selected for the alternative concepts. Should the SPS concept, and thus system design options and tradeoffs, continue to be evaluated, it is expected that its projected costs will change. Health and Safety The comparison of health and safety aspects of advanced and current technologies is not possible on a total risk basis because of the uncertainties and unquantifiable impacts for all the technologies, even current coal and nuclear technologies. The health and safety results (side-by-side) can best be sunmarized as follows: • All the technologies will have distinct health and safety impacts. • It is difficult to quantify and assess the low-level and delayed impacts of all technologies. In general, the more defined technologies (e.g., coal, Il'IR) have a greater number of quantifiable risks and fewer unquantifiable risks. The opposite is true for the less-defined technologies (e.g., fusion, SPS). In contrast to the apparent public willingness to accept limited known risks of energy systems, recent experience with LWR systems indicate that perceived major risks that are less quantifiable or predictable may restrict or ccmpletely halt energy system deployment, if adequate assurances of lew impact probability are unattainable. In this study, health and safety issues potentially of major concern but currently unquantifiable were placed into tw general categories as follows: 1. Low levels of pollutants or radiation, which impose, at most, small individual risks that are not well-understood. However, an exposure of a large number of persons and cumulative effects are of concern. • Low-level ionizing radiation from fission reactors. • Coal combustion air pollutants that are transported long distances. • Low-level micrcwave radiation (non-ionizing) from the SPS. 2. Catastrophic and perceived events with a probability of occurrence that is thought to be low. • Large radiation release from a major fission reactor accident.
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