Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Radioactive
Waste
Resources for nvironmentaI Literacy
nvironmentaI Literacy CounciI
NationaI Science 7eachers Association
Radioactive
Waste
Claire Reinburg, Director
Judy Cusick, Senior Editor
Andrew Cocke, Associate Editor
Betty Smith, Associate Editor
Robin Allan, Book Acquisitions Coordinator
Cover and Interior Design by Linda Olliver
Printing and Production
Catherine Lorrain, Director
Nguyet Tran, Assistant Production Manager
Jack Parker, Electronic Prepress Technician
National Science Teachers Association
Gerald F. Wheeler, Executive Director
David Beacom, Publisher
Copyright 2007 by the National Science Teachers Association.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
10 09 08 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Radioactive waste: resources for environmental literacy / by Environmental Literacy Council and National Science Teachers
Association.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-933531-20-5
1. Environmental literacy--Study and teaching (Secondary)--United States--Outlines, syllabi, etc. 2. Radioactive waste disposal--Study
and teaching (Secondary)--United States--Outlines, syllabi, etc. I. Environmental Literacy Council. II. National Science Teachers
Association.
TD898.R278 2007
363.7289--dc22
2007009489
NSTA is committed to publishing material that promotes the best in inquiry-based science education. However, conditions of actual use may
vary and the safety procedures and practices described in this book are intended to serve only as a guide. Additional precautionary measures may
be required. NSTA and the author(s) do not warrant or represent that the procedure and practices in this book meet any safety code or standard
or federal, state, or local regulations. NSTA and the author(s) disclaim any liability for personal injury or damage to property arising out of or
relating to the use of this book including any of the recommendations, instructions, or materials contained therein.
Permission is granted in advance for photocopying brief excerpts for one-time use in a classroom or workshop. Permission requests
for coursepacks, textbooks, electronic reproduction, and other commercial uses should be directed to Copyright Clearance Center,
222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923; fax 978-646-8600; www.copyright.com.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-0243521. Any
opinion, fndings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not
necessarily refect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface xi
F.JamesRutherford
Introduction xiii
AbouttheAuthors xv
Dedication xvii
StudentLearningGoals 1
FromBenchmarks for Science Literacy 1
FromNational Science Education Standards 2
BackgroundContentforTeachers 3
EssentialQuestion1:
What Is Radioactivity? 3
EssentialQuestion2:
How Long-Lived Are Radioactive Substances? 6
EssentialQuestion3:
What Are the Hazards Posed by Radioactivity? 6
EssentialQuestion4:
How Is Radioactivity Measured? 7
EssentialQuestion5:
Where Do Radioactive Wastes Come From? 8
EssentialQuestion6:
What Ways Are There for Disposing of Radioactive Wastes,
and What Are the Risks Associated With Them? 10
EssentialQuestion7:
How Can Radioactive Waste Be Moved Safely to a Storage
Facility, and What Are the Risks Associated With the
Diferent Transport Options? 13
TeachingApproach 17
ActivitiesOverview 17
Misconceptions 18
AssessingStudentLearning 18
RecommendedResources 18
StudentActivities 21
Activity1:
Detecting Radiation 21
Activity2:
Half-Life 21
Activity3:
Making Decisions 22
StudentMaterials 23
DetectingRadiation 24
Half-Life 26
MakingDecisions 28
WhatShouldBeDoneWithRadioactiveWaste? 32
Radioactive Waste: Resources for Environmental Literacy
vii
These materials were the product of many handsteachers, curriculum developers, scientists, and
Environmental Literacy Council (ELC) staf members. Tey were reviewed by independent teachers
of various science subjects at ELCs request and were approved by James Rutherford, the Principal
Investigator of the project and an ELC member. We extend our thanks to all who devoted their ef-
forts to this project:
Acknowledgments
vii
David Anderson
Eric Anderson
Erma Anderson
Daniel Barstow
Kathleen Berry
Rick Bodishbaugh
Nancy Bort
Don Byerly
Robert Dayton
John Disinger
Graham Down
Earl Feltyberger
Gary Freebury
Steven Gilbert
We would also particularly like to thank Tyson Brown of the National Science Teachers Associa-
tion for his role in helping garner independent teacher testers of the draf materials. Te following
teachers tested this module in their classrooms:
George Gray
David Hanych
Jef Hetfeld
Marlene Hilkowitz
Ruth Howes
Andrew Jorgensen
Robert Kolenda
Don Lee
Mark Lesney
Jefrey Marsh
Sally McFarlane
Beverly Nelson
Stan Ogren
Eric Packenham
Jefrey Pestrak
Barbara Pietrucha
Patricia Rourke
Stephen Schneider
Napier Shelton
Matthew Smith
Michael Smith
Robert Sproull
Graeme Stephens
Art Sussman
Nancy Trautmann
Anne Vidaver
Gerald Wheeler
Soren Wheeler
Cathy Boucvalt
Larry Fenton
Deborah Grine
Daniel Irwin
Tim Kessler
Paul Longwell
Joy Martin
Rita Martin
James Musolino
Diana Simpson
Su Staron
Sarah Utley
PersonneI Ioad materiaI into the core
of xperimentaI 8reeder Reactor I(EBR-I).
Thefrstuseofnuclearfssiontoproduceausable
quantityofelectricitywasdemonstratedatthe
IdahoNationalLaboratorysEBR-IonDec.20,1951
(see www.inl.gov/history).
Source: Image Idaho National Laboratory.
Radioactive Waste: Resources for Environmental Literacy
xi
The primary responsibility of teachers of sci-
ence is to teach science, not to inform their stu-
dents on environmental issuesand certainly
not to infuence the stand students may take on
those issues. Fostering student understanding of
the scientifc view of the natural world and how
science goes about its work is the frst order of
business in the teaching of science.
Nevertheless, experienced science teach-
ersbacked by research on learningknow
that most students do better when they see how
the science they are studying helps them to un-
derstand practical things that matter to them.
Tus, it makes sense to organize science teaching
contextually from time to time, that is, to treat
the science content from a real-world perspec-
tive. Many such contexts exist, including inquiry,
mathematics, health, sports, technology, history,
biography, art, and other cross-cutting themes,
such as scale, systems, constancy and change,
and models. It is the contention of this project
that the environment is another such context,
and a particularly important one at that.
Preface
Environmental issues and concerns provide
a particularly attractive context for teaching
various scientifc concepts and skills. Tat belief
is what motivated the Environmental Literacy
Council (ELC) and the National Science Teach-
ers Association (NSTA) to join forces in develop-
ing this set of science/environment modules for
teachers. From an educational perspective, sci-
ence learning and environmental understanding
efectively complement each other in two ways:
Te environmental context can improve sci-
ence learning.
Learning science can improve the ability of
students to deal with environmental issues.
Another way of putting this is that study-
ing science in the context of the environment
is doubly productive. It shows how scientifc
knowledge and ways of thinking, coupled with
the process of making decisions about our col-
lective interaction with nature, can illuminate
each other to the advantage of both.
F.JamesRutherford
EnvironmentalLiteracyCouncil
2.
3.
4.