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Green with envy: Waste-disposal problem cannot simply be buried thepost September 22, 2008 Cathy Wilson
When it comes to waste, the United States has a history of literally burying its problems — a practice that is a shortcut rather than a solution………………………..

The process of nuclear fission results in the creation of low-level and high-level radioactive waste. Equipment or clothing that has been contaminated is classified as low-level, while used nuclear reactor fuel is labeled as high-level.

Low-level waste takes hundreds of years to reach safe levels of radiation, while high-level radioactive waste won’t reach safe levels for tens of thousands of years. After being monitored and cooled for several years, it is transported and placed in concrete structures.  

Nuclear waste disposal is a concrete (no pun intended) and current topic that needs to be discussed by the people who are so adamant about its promise. Some propose burying the radioactive waste deep underground in places like Yucca Mountain in Nevada, but the problem is that Nevada residents aren’t clamoring to have such waste in their backyards or seeping into their groundwater……………………………….Renewable energy is within reach, composting already exists and simply reducing waste and energy use individually doesn’t hurt either. It’s irresponsible to rely on burying our problems today knowing that future generations will be haunted by them and forced to fix them tomorrow.

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Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium

September 24, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | wastes