The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Nuclear energy is the energy that exists within the nucleus of an atom. There are 2 types of Nuclear Energy: Nuclear fission is the splitting of a large

nucleus, releasing HUGE amounts of energy.

Nuclear fusion is the combining of smaller

nuclei to form heavier nuclei, releasing HUGE amounts of energy

Nuclear waste is the radioactive waste left over from nuclear reactors, nuclear research projects, and nuclear bomb production. Nuclear waste is divided into low, medium, and high-level waste by the amount of radioactivity the waste produces.

substances are slightly radioactive from the decay of naturally occurring isotopes such as carbon-14, potassium-40, uranium238 and thorium-232. If the radioactive elements are concentrated by natural processes or human industry, they may become concentrated enough to be treated as nuclear waste. Nuclear waste from NORM is not usually highly radioactive, and might be safe to hold, although it may produce dangerous levels of radioactive radon gas.
All

 The

other primary source of nuclear waste is human-built nuclear reactors. After an atom fissions, the two pieces of the nucleus may themselves be radioactive, and may take thousands of years to decay; these pieces are known as fission products.

High-Level Waste
The most dangerous

radioactive waste Spent fuel comes from nuclear reactors (52,000 tons) liquid and solid waste from plutonium production (91 million gallons). About 70 percent of the available storage space is now filled with used fuel assemblies at Turkey Point.

Transuranic Waste
Includes clothing,

tools, and other materials contaminated with plutonium, neptunium, and other man-made elements heavier than uranium. (11.3 million cubic feet)

Low and Mixed Low-Level Waste Includes radioactive and hazardous wastes from hospitals, research institutions, and decommissioned power plants (472 million cubic feet) Turkey Point produced annually on average about 2,500 cubic feet of low-level waste. This amount of waste could be contained within an area about the size of a 30'x30' room.

The environmental impact of nuclear power results from the nuclear fuel cycle, operation, and the effects of nuclear accidents.The routine health risks and greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear fission power are small relative to those associated with coal, but there are "catastrophic risks":

 In

March 2011 an earthquake and tsunami caused damage that led to explosions and partial meltdowns at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Concerns about the possibility of a large scale radiation leak resulted in 20 km exclusion zone being set up around the power plant and people within the 20-30km zone being advised to stay indoors. John Price, a former member of the Safety Policy Unit at the UK's National Nuclear Corporation, has said that it "might be 100 years before melting fuel rods can be safely removed from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant"

There is no safe level of radiation exposure. High exposures can result in death within hours to days to weeks. Individuals exposed to non-lethal doses may experience changes in blood chemistry, nausea, fatigue, vomiting or genetic modifications. Children are particularly vulnerable. Radiation has an effect on the cellular level. As children grow they divide more and more cells. There is therefore more opportunity for that process to be interfered with by radiation. Fetuses exposed to radiation can result in smaller head or brain size, poorly formed eyes, abnormal or slow growth and mental retardation4.

Like all industries, the thermal generation of electricity produces wastes. Whatever fuel is used, these wastes must be managed in ways which safeguard human health and minimise their impact on the environment. Nuclear power is the only energy industry which takes full responsibility for all its wastes, and costs this into the product.

Alpha radiation cannot penetrate the skin and can be blocked out by a sheet of paper, but is dangerous in the lung. Beta radiation can penetrate into the body but can be blocked out by a sheet of aluminum foil. Gamma radiation can go right through the body and requires several centimeters of lead or concrete, or a meter or so of water, to block it.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly