Nuclear Waste Is The Substance That Nuclear Fuel

Nuclear waste is a radioactive waste that is dangerous, and a fair percentage of people would agree on this topic. However, is it really dangerous or is it just harmful to an extent? In society, many debates are held over trying to prove to the world that this substance is harmful. In the essay, “Nuclear Waste,” Muller states clearly that he sides with the anti-nuke of the debate and how he pinpoints the facts of nuclear waste with great persuasion. Yet, it is uncertain whether Muller clearly has a good argument and/or answers the questions that many people linger to know.

•     Waste from nuclear energy stays radioactive for thousands of years. Great care has to be taken in storing this waste safely.

Disposal of the high level nuclear waste that comes from nuclear power plants continues to be a big problem. It has been challenging and costly to find safe ways to store this waste. According to a report from the U.S National Academy of Sciences, it will take 3 million years for radioactive waste stored in the U.S. as of 1983 to decay to background levels (thinkquest.org). Who wants this amount of waste stored in the environment where they live? Currently in the U.S. nuclear power plants produce 3,000 tons of this high level waste each year (thinkquest.org). If nuclear power continues to be produced, this amount of waste will only continue to increase, causing a bigger dilemma as to what to do with the waste. As the waste is removed from the plant it still contains a high level of radiation. Exposure to radiation whether it occurs in the moving process or leakage from storage not only has a negative impact on the environment but also can pose a major health threat to humans. Based on the level of exposure, symptoms to humans can range from nausea and headaches to damage of nerve cells, loss of white blood cells and even death (think .org). The potential risk of exposure is not worth human life.

Today, a considerable amount of energy is provided by nuclear energy. The technology is well organized and developing every passing day and as a result the cost of operation is falling. Using radioactive resources to produce energy generates waste. Waste that contains radioactive materials is called nuclear waste. The secure and environmentally-friendly disposal of nuclear waste is a crucial aspect of nuclear power programs. [1]

The word “Nuclear” instills fear in the general American public’s mind. The simple utter of said word brings memories of huge mushrooms clouds and destruction, or the thought of communism and 50 years of an uncertain, yet terrifying Cold War. Whatever it may be the fact of the matter is that Americans are extremely afraid of anything that has the word Nuclear in it. In the article “Nuclear Waste” published in 2008 by physics professor, and winner of the MacArthur Fellowship award, Richard Muller claims that storing nuclear waste under the Nevada Yucca Mountains can prove to be a safe and efficient way to solve the problem of nuclear waste disposal. Muller supports his argument by first providing the reader with the anti-nuke

I say nuclear waste should be stored in Texas rather than being stored in Washington because Texas is a very large state. Texas is a flat land where it’s surface is very flat and stable. It should be a good place to store nuclear waste because there is a low possibility of any earthquakes that can affect the nuclear waste. There is a low risk of any flooding near Texas. There aren’t many people. Texas can also handle up to 100 earthquakes so there isn’t a high risk that the volcanoes can damage any nuclear waste.

After it’s mined and done in the uranium mills it’s loaded on to trucks and sent to get refined in Blind River, Ontario. Uranium is used for nuclear power plants after its done being refined. It’s also stored in metal barrels.

We are in much need for places to store this nuclear waste. One of the places researches believe may be the perfect place but also the worst place is Yucca Mountain. I believe they should store nuclear waste inside the Yucca Mountain. It is far away

Nuclear Waste The essay “Nuclear Waste” by Ricard A. Muller talks about the controversial matter of the disposure of radioactive waste. Despite the overwhelming concerns of citizens, Richard Muller believes the dangers associated with the transportation and deposit of nuclear waste is not as paramount as the issue may seem. The concepts that seems most alarming to the public are the number of year it takes for the radioactivity of the waste to subside and where it will be stored in the mean time that will not affect their safety. As Muller explains, ”Even after 100,000 years the radiation will still be above 10% of the level it had when it left the reactor.

Some scientists mind people that the South Australia Outback is the best, the safest, the most geologically and environmentally stable place on the planet to store the nuclear waste. (Valente,2016) However, as we know, Nuclear Waste is generally mixture of solids, liquids and gases which are produced during the generation of nuclear energy during fission, mining of uranium, nuclear research and weapons production. It is radioactive and that is the primary cause of the negative effects on human health and bodies. When humans are exposed to moderate radiation for a long time, it can lead to permanent problems and even lead to death. Nuclear waste radiation can damage or kill cells of people. Cancer is the primary health effect from radiation

In addition, all the uranium pellets (energy source) that Canada has ever used have totaled up to 1.3 million fuel bundles which are approximately 200 million tonnes of pellets. They are typically about 1 cm in diameter and 1 cm long of Uranium oxide. The pellets are disposed of by being used or being placed in a pool of water until we can find a permanent location. Low-level radioactive waste is disposed of in landfills because they barely cause any harm. High-level radioactive waste is either placed deep underground or also placed in a pool. Many people believe that these methods are improper, but there are many organizations that regulate safety before anything. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commision is an organization that regulates nuclear energy in a way so it protects health, safety, security and the environment. This organization is under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, meaning it protects the safety of people and the environment, regulates nuclear substances, and researches scientific and technical information, (eg.transportation). Even though there have been three major accidents with nuclear reactors, Canada has never had any accidents in 40 years and we hope to keep it this

The existing policy for American nuclear waste disposal was set fourth in 1982 with the passing of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). What followed was an unpredictable series of management and policy design failures that led to the closing of Yucca Mountain as America’s federal nuclear waste repository, costing taxpayers billions and leaving the nation without long term option to deal with nuclear waste. The Act tasked the federal Department of Energy (DOE) with finding and investigating a location for two federal geologic depositories for nuclear waste, one in the West and one in the East, and construction of the facilities. It also named the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a government organization that regulates the construction

So i’m going to do the same thing, i’m gonna explain the reasons(or as I use to call them uses) and then the bad reasons. Yucca Mountain may be a proper place to store nuclear waste since it has a very low population, it is very remote, it’s closest city being Las Vegas which is 100 miles away. Evidence suggests that the last time a very destructive earthquake (6.5 on the richter scale) occurred in the Yucca Mountain area that was 50,000 years ago so there is a minimal threat of earthquakes happening. Even with no population, an earthquake might spread the nuclear waste around or into the atmosphere. Another reason for considering Yucca Mountain is that the earth material in this region tends to absorb contaminants. This could stop waste from spreading in the event of leakage from the waste containers. Now for the bad uses, To reach Yucca Mountain it would take nuclear waste to travel 43 states by truck to reach Yucca mountain. Las Vegas has about 500,000 people and it’s 100 miles away from Yucca mountain so it is still in relative proximity to the city and why residents are against storage of nuclear waste there. Nevada is in fourth place of the highest earthquakes. An extinct volcano’s eruptions formed Yucca mountain, although 27 miles away from Yucca mountain are more volcanos (7 are stable). In a bad situation, the volcano could re-awaken spreading waste around. I hoped you noticed i explained this the same way I did In “Storing Waste On Yucca Mountain”. Now before I Conclude this I want to compare one more thing, I want to tell you the lower amount of rainfall in the site in Yucca Mountain compared to Hanford, Washington and the one in Texas. The lower amount is important because there would be less chance of the containers becoming damaged and leaking

Nuclear energy is the energy released by a nuclear reaction, it uses fuel made from mined and processed uranium to generate heat and electricity. It is the world’s largest emission free energy source. Nuclear energy also has the lowest impact on the environment than other energy sources. But it can still be very harmful because of the radiation is causes and the radioactive waste it produces. Radioactive wastes are the ruins of nuclear materials that are used in providing nuclear energy. These wastes contain high levels of radiation that can be very hazardous to humans and the environment. Some people accept and support the idea of using nuclear energy and others don’t. In the following paragraphs, some major nuclear accidents and the public acceptance of nuclear energy will be discussed.

Nuclear waste is also bad because of the cost to keep it in safe and contained areas. The nuclear business let's waste cool for a considerable length of time before blending it with glass and putting away it in enormous cooled, solid structures. This waste must be kept up, observed and