Analyzing Disposal Radioactive Wastes

¶ … radioactive waste disposal and also the factors that need to be taken into account when it comes to nuclear waste disposal. The issue of radioactive waste disposal has been a global headache ever since countries started using nuclear energy. The health and safety concerns associated with nuclear waste have meant that used radioactive material have to be disposed in a controlled manner and in secure locations.

Disposal of radioactive waste is further complicated by the half-life length of many radioactive substances, many of which retain up to 50% of their harmful characteristics for more than a hundred thousand years after being disposed (Agar). Nuclear waste disposal is one of the major challenges that have limited the widespread adoption of nuclear power as an energy source. The United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) classifies nuclear waste into six categories. Namely (Agar): Accelerator-produced and naturally occurring radioactive materials. Low level waste 3.

Uranium mill tailings (either from the mining of uranium or the grinding of the ore) 4. Uranium waste from military programs, including other enhanced radioactive materials, such as plutonium. 5. High level waste from nuclear fuel reprocessing 6. Spent nuclear fuel from reactors. Things to be Evaluated The main health issue associated with radioactive materials is that they are carcinogens. Exposure to radioactive materials increases the likelihood of once contracting cancer. Exposure to radioactivity also causes genetic mutations leading to defects even in babies of mothers exposed during pregnancy.

As more and more countries adopt nuclear power as an energy source, the amount of radioactive waste continues to increase, meaning that each and every day it is becoming increasingly difficult to securely and safely dispose of nuclear waste. For instance, insecurely stored nuclear waste might end up with terrorist organizations, which might reprocess the nuclear waste into weapons posing a huge security risk to governments and nations around the globe.

Even though it is unlikely that there is a terrorist organization with the capacity to make a true nuclear bomb, the possibility of these organizations making dirty bombs (nuclear material incorporated into conventional bombs) remains and governments in nuclear power producing countries must guard against this. The location where the material will be disposed is the first factor that should be assessed. Radioactive waste is currently being stored onsite in reactors. They are disposed in steel lined, concrete containers filled with water.

Another method of disposal is to dispose the material in airtight concrete or steel containers. In the U.S., the national/federal government is responsible for the disposal/storage of radioactive materials. Yucca Mountain in the state of Nevada was approved by the congress in 2002 as the federal centralized storage site for all radioactive waste generated in the U.S., however the federal government terminated the project based on environmental concerns.

France and Japan reprocess spent nuclear fuel to recover as much usable fuel as possible and thus have managed to significantly reduce their waste levels. The issues highlighted above will form the basis of my criteria. I would consider location, security and the environment in choosing the appropriate site for storing radioactive waste. Synopsis I have come to believe that with regards to radioactive waste disposal there is no.