(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Disposal of Radioactive Waste


             dangers posed by a nearby Air Force training range" (Gehrke). .
             Transuranic wastes come from nuclear weapons production and spent fuel reprocessing. Transuranic refers to the "heaviness" of the element. Transuranic waste often looks like ordinary items one would find at any industrial site such as tools, gloves, protective gear, and tarps. Contaminated soil or vegetation is also a result of transuranic waste, which affects the normal living process of every day life. The main risk of this type of waste is that it decays slowly and remains radioactive for a very long time. There is no warning on what is contaminated, only proper analysis can detect items or vegetation exposed to such elements.
             Mill tailings are produced at uranium mills. Uranium milling residues are the rock and soil that remain after uranium has been removed from the ore that was mined from the earth. This produces the harmful agent called radon. Radon is a colorless, radioactive, inert gaseous element formed by the radioactive decay of radium. It is used as a radiation source in radiotherapy and to produce neutrons for research. Right now tailings are being left in huge piles near sites where they are being processed. This is a concern for regulators, which are seeking a way in which the waste can be buried underground instead. This could result in future problems if the tailings are buried in a fashion where it would be able to seep into the underground water and pollute the area around it.
             Low-level radioactive waste is generated by numerous facilities such as hospitals, research institutions, and private/public laboratories (Ringius 24). Low-level radioactive waste is a major concern due to it being so commonly used in public places, such as hospitals, which in some cases have poor security. The amount of low-level radioactive waste produced is usually described in one of two ways. One way is to give the volume of the waste in cubic feet or cubic meters and the other way is to give the activity.


Essays Related to Disposal of Radioactive Waste

1. the disposal of nuclear waste

The main problem with nuclear energy, however, is the storage and disposal of the waste from the nuclear plants. Nuclear energy is usually classified as either 'low level' radioactive waste or 'high level' radioactive waste. ... Many possibilities for waste disposal are being explored. ... 'The Subductive Waste Disposal Method" has been invented and patented by Jim Baird. ... Once the process is complete, the waste will be beneath 2000 meters of water, 2000 meters of oceanic sediment, and almost 50 kilometers offshore; the Subductive Waste Disposal Method will...

  • Word Count: 579
  • Approx Pages: 2

2. Nuclear Waste

High level nuclear waste (HLW) must be handled remotely as direct exposure to the radioactive waste would provide a lethal dose within seconds. High level waste can stay radioactive for up to 250 thousand years. ... Anything coming into contact with radioactive material can be considered Low Level Waste. ... Air Contamination Explosive or slow releases of gases from an underground disposal site is theoretically possible. ... Water Contamination This is generally taken as the most likely mechanism of pollution in connection with waste disposal in rock. ...

  • Word Count: 2144
  • Approx Pages: 9

3. Nuclear Power and Radioactive Waste Disposal

Nuclear waste, also called radioactive waste, is what's left from the use of nuclear materials. ... The federal government or state governments regulate the radioactive wastes and materials formed from these reactions. ... This yields discharge that contains plutonium and other highly radioactive isotopes. ... In either kind of storage, nuclear material must be kept for extended periods of time, due to the radioactive substances having such long half-lives. ... Radiation doses must be regulated, the waste must be able to be retrieved for up to 50 years, and containers must sustai...

  • Word Count: 366
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Water Pollution: Toxic Waste

Water Pollution: Toxic Waste Toxic waste is waste material, often in chemical form that can cause death or injury to living creatures. ... Lakes, rivers, streams, and pools used to irrigate crops, provide drinking water, and used for a sanitation system are polluted by sewage, industrial waste and toxins, heavy metals, fertilizers, chemicals, radioactive substances, land sediment, and oil. ... Scientists continue to study and look for the best disposal methods for harmful toxins. A safe disposal method will help life on this planet flourish more healthily. A successful method of disp...

  • Word Count: 682
  • Approx Pages: 3

5. Sink or Swim/Oak Ridge

In the process, the plants have produced -- and carelessly disposed of -- mountains of radioactive waste. ... The Oak Ridge National Laboratory's waste disposal has caused massive ecological damage to our water systems and environment; they must be dealt with. ... Faulty pipelines and poor disposal keeps the ORNL from fully cleaning up their mess. ... Oak Ridge has been hiding radioactive and toxic waste contamination in fields, lakes, woods, and streams for forty-seven years. ... Oak Ridge National Laboratories waste disposal has not only affected Oak Ridge but countless other places. ...

  • Word Count: 1302
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Radioactivity and the Nuclei of Atoms

There has also been mounting concern about the production and disposal of toxic nuclear waste, which may have an active life of several thousand years, and the cost of maintaining nuclear power stations and decommissioning them at the end of their lives. ... Radioactive Wastes Hazardous waste substance, usually generated by industry, which represents a hazard to the environment or to people living or working nearby. Examples include radioactive wastes, acidic resins, arsenic residues, residual hardening salts, lead from automobile exhausts, mercury, nonferrous sludges, organic solvents, asbes...

  • Word Count: 1854
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Nuclear Energy

The costs, safety, and waste disposal have put a doubt on the future of this energy. ... Like all industrial processes, nuclear power generation has by-product wastes which are radioactive wastes, and hot water. ... Radioactive wastes are the principal environmental concern for nuclear power. ... Disposal means that management of them is no longer required. Some wastes go to disposal early, others are stored for up to 50 years to enable radioactivity to diminish first. ...

  • Word Count: 1473
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Fission

Although the radioactive waste produced by fission remains highly radioactive for thousands of years, proper funding could help contribute to the research in finding ways to safely dispose of these materials. ... Even with these new, safer reactor designs, we acknowledge that a resurgence in use of nuclear power requires progress in solving the waste disposal problem. ... Public concern over accidents, emissions of radiation, and disposal have also hindered progress. ... If we are given the money requested, it will be used to develop advanced concepts and scientific breakthroughs in nuclear...

  • Word Count: 411
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Nuclear Power In The 21 Century

The production of highly radioactive waste has been the Achilles heel of nuclear production since its earliest days. (Hertsgaard, 1999 ) The problem has been the storage and disposal of this waste. ... (Chambers, 2000) However, there is still the problem of disposal of the large quantities of high-level waste that is generated by the fission process. Ritch has acknowledged that nuclear waste is the largest problem for the industry, with 150,000 tons of spent fuel still awaiting disposal. ... This accomplished by chemically treating the waste to extract the radioactive components, a volume o...

  • Word Count: 1731
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question