Nuclear Waste Disposal Essay -- Radiation Pollution Papers

Nuclear Waste Disposal As the millenium approaches, we are faced with the problems created by our technological advances. Everyday we are forced to see the results, from acid rain to polluted beaches. But there is one problem in particular that will probably out-live our generation and the generation which has created it. If properly contained and monitored, it has little affect on us and our environment. However, once it is free of it's containment, it is a destructive and deadly force. This problem is nuclear waste. Thirty thousand metric tons of spent fuel rods from power reactors and another 380,000 cubic meters of high level radioactive waste, have been produced in the United States since the beginning of the nuclear age. Presently, these fuel rods are stored at the nuclear reactors in water filled basins and accumulate at the rate of six tons per day (Whipple, 1996). As the populataion increases, so does the demand for electricity. If we continue relying on nuclear power to provide our electricity, we will continue producing more and more nuclear waste. Greater use of nuclear power and volumes of waste mean a greater chance of accidental release of radiation into the environment. Radiation How it is produced How does radiation in our environment affect us? In order to understand how radiation affects us, we first must understand how it is produced. Fission is the initial step. It is the splitting of uranium or plutonium atoms which produces radioactive "fission fragments" and "activation products" (Bertell, 1985). These products then ionize normal atoms, which leads to a sort of domino affect microscopically. This chain reaction can also cause activation products to be produced by causing chemicals in the air,... ... 1982. http://www.public.iastate.edu/smevela/policy.html. Glasstone, Samuel and Jordan, Walter H. (1980). Nuclear Power and It's Environmental Effects. LaGrange Pk., IL: American Nuclear Society. Liptkin, R. (1995). New Glass Could Store Unused Plutonium. Science News. 148 (23). pp374. Lipschutz, Ronnie D. (1980). Radioactive Waste: Politics, Technology, and Risk. Cambridge, Massachussesetts: Ballinger Publishing Company. Nadis, Steven. (1996). The Sub-Seabed Solution. The Atlantic Monthly. 278(4). pp28-30, 38. St. Joe Valley Greens. (1997). Nuclear Waste Transportation Map. http://users.michiana.org/greens/editorial/transpor.htm. Whipple, Chris G. (1996). Can Nuclear Waste Be Stored Safely at Yucca Mountain?. Scientific American. 274(6). 72-79. Wright, Richard T. (1989). Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. New York: Christian College Coalition.