The Two Sides of Uranium Essay

Uranium is a naturally occuring chemical element that can be mined from ore in many parts of the Southwestern United States where

Nuclear power plants use heat created by nuclear reactions to heat water and create steam which turn turbines to produce power.

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.

Not since the 1980's has a recent surge of uranium mining claims occured in the Four Corners region. Energy Fuel Resources Inc. has placed its Canyon Mine on standby and expects to resume shaft sinking operations December of next year, when an official court ruling is made and depending on market conditions.

Urainum-238 has a half-life of around 4.5 billion years, meaning that half the atoms in any sample will decay in that amount of time (4.5 billion years). Uranium-238 emits alpha particles which are less powerful than other forms of radiation, and weak gamma rays. As long as it remains outside the body, uranium poses little health

Nuclear weapons pose a direct and constant threat to people. Not even close from keeping the peace, they breed fear and mistrust among nations. These ultimate instruments

　　　　In the recent years, nuclear energy has gotten a comprehensive development. There are over 430 commercial nuclear power reactors operable in 31 countries, with over 370,000 MWe of total capacity. About 70 more reactors are under construction, and these numbers are still rising up (World Nuclear

As seen in World War II, the nuclear weapon engenders the havoc of humankind. Prior to its usage in wars, many scientists test the bomb on numerous places on earth, creating damage and radiation around these testing sites. Furthermore, death is the core outcome that arises from the usage of nuclear weapons. Sooner or later, the abuse of technology will harm the human race

After World War II, a new enemy was in the horizon: technology. In the 1940’s, the United States was the leader of the “Free World” paving a path and setting an example for the rest of the world to follow (Maland 191). Americans believed the misconception that “American society was sound, and that communism was a clear danger to the survival of the United States and its allies” (Maland 191). The U.S. maintained a policy of containment by fighting communism wherever it may be, and in a show of might in 1952, they detonated the first hydrogen bomb (Maland 192). Only a short year later, the mighty Soviet Union announced that they too had the Atom bomb (Maland 192). And, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the United States became alarmed that they were falling behind in science and technology. Because the Soviets had the same capability to annihilate the world with the bomb as the United States, tensions between the two countries increase daily. But, this new war tactic brought into question man’s ability to make decisions of nuclear proportions with

I think to an extend it is environmental racism. We need Uranium to protect the United States which includes to protect the Native people. We have to look at the big picture as what is going to help the country. Also, it creates more miners jobs. The use of Uranium is not only use for nuclear weapons, but also to produce energy. In the other hand, the Native people from New Mexico are taking a big hit because since it is a big Uranium mining site and the water is not being dispose properly and the water is seeping into the local aquifers (Earthworks, 2011). I think the government should look an alternative ways to dispose the 12 million gallons a day or other alternative ways to substitute the use of Uranium.

Uranium was discovered by Martin Klaproth in 1789. Klaproth was a German Chemist that discovered Uranium in a mineral call pitchblende. It was named after Uranus, the planet, which had been discovered eight years earlier. Uranium occurs in most rocks in concentrations of 2 to 4 parts per million and is common in the Earth’s crust. This highly density element is used in keels of yachts and as counterweights for aircraft control surfaces, as well as for radiation shielding. This element principal uses is in fuel for nuclear reactors and the main raw material for nuclear weapons. Depleted uranium is the waste product of uranium enrichment in nuclear reactors. It is the residue left in massive quantities when bomb-grade uranium is

The third harmful result of nuclear weapons is that the huge amount of expenditure on nuclear weapons prevents some fundamental problems from solving, and hamper some basic services from offering. Countless fundamental and crucial problems and services, like health care, education, famine and so forth, are waiting to be solved and provided. The article “Spending on Nuclear Weapons” states that “as hundreds of millions of people across the globe go hungry, the nuclear-armed nations spend close to US$300 million a day on their nuclear forces. More specifically for the U.S., $105 billion annually– or $12 million an hour.” (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, 2017) Being costly is not one of nuclear weapons’ drawbacks. But, rendering

Uranium is utilized in nuclear power plants because of the ability for Uranium-235, to undergo Nuclear Fission. The energy produced is caused by a reaction between Uranium-235 and the constant bombardment of neutrons. This method of energy production creates a uranium rod that has a lower ratio of Uranium-235 to Uranium-238. These rods containing less U-235 are not as reactive as rods rich in the isotope, causing less and less energy to be produced. This by-product is depleted uranium and is still radioactive, but no longer has any use in the generation of energy+. In 1991 this by-product was utilized during the Gulf War as an armor piercing round because of it's high density, and ability to ignite+. The use of depleted uranium as armor-piercing

“A tiny speck of plutonium-239, as little as three millionths of a gram, can cause lung cancer. One pound of plutonium-239 contains enough specks to kill nine billion people instantly” (Pringle 26). Plutonium-239 is a human-made element, also known as the most dangerous substance on earth. As a by-product of uranium fission, plutonium-239 is created by generating electricity from nuclear sources. Contrary to popular belief, nuclear energy is hazardous and threatening to health. The use of nuclear energy should be banned as evidenced by the number of accidents, health effects, and global impact.

As each year passes, more and more electricity will be made as a result of increased nuclear power plants around the world. The economic benefits of nuclear energy are equally advantageous as the environmental aspects.