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| Fig. 1: Radioactive waste with distinct labels to indicate its content. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Over the past few decades, there has been progress, not only in the United States but also globally, to eliminate energy sourced from fossil fuels. Alternative energies are efficient sources that could provide temporary relief of the reliance on fossil fuels. Nuclear energy does exactly that and currently provides around 32%, or 191 million tons of oil equivalent (TOE), of the United States' energy consumption. [1] While nuclear power has become a lot safer to the general public through improved technology and safety protocols, nuclear power still poses health risks due to the unforgiving, lengthy half-life of radioactive waste.
Nuclear waste is a byproduct from generating power through nuclear reactors and fuel processing plants. In order for safe and secure operation, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) oversees all aspects of commercially produced radioactive waste. [2] With proper regulation, permanent damage to nearby organisms and environments can be minimized and perhaps totally avoided. [3]
The first of three basic classifications of radioactive waste that the USNRC manages is low-level waste. Low-level waste includes basic everyday objects, such as shoes, equipment, medical devices, etc., that have been exposed with radioactive material. Low-level waste must be stored in containers appropriate to the hazard level (See Fig. 1). They are then sent to one of two low-level waste disposal facilities, located in South Carolina or Washington, to be stored (See Fig. 2). [4]
High-level waste is the second classification of radioactive waste. The most common form of highly radioactive material is "spent" nuclear fuel. Spent nuclear fuel includes leftover uranium fuel that is not nearly as productive as fresh fuel. [4] High-level waste is dangerous because the half-lives of some of these isotopes can range from 24,000 years up to 15.7 million years, potentially damaging the environment and other surroundings. [3] The most common method of high-level waste storage is in rods submerged underwater, since the water shields workers from radiation. If pool space is limited, they can be stored in metal or concrete casks deep underground. [2]
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| Fig. 2: Ideal method of disposing low-level radioactive waste. (Courtesy of the NRC. Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
The next major category of waste is mill tailings. While less common and hazardous than low-level and high-level waste, mill tailing waste contain long half-lives. [2] During the milling process of ores, small traces of radium, thorium, and uranium can be found leftover. Due to the insignificant dangers of tailings, many of them are left on-site. [4]
As nuclear energy becomes more popular among countries to satisfy energy demands, nuclear waste will become a larger and larger problem. As of now, there is not a permanent, methodical, and safe system to store radioactive waste due to the insurmountable half-life of radioactive elements. It is important to emphasize the significance of finding a more stable solution; as long as technology keeps improving at its current pace, nuclear power should become an important method to combat the use of fossil fuels.
© Alex Liang. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] "BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2018," British Petroleum, June 2018.
[2] "Radioactive Waste," U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, April 2015.
[3] S. Sherman, "Radioactive Waste Dangers," Physics 240, Stanford University, Fall 2015.
[4] "Radioactive Waste: Production, Storage, and Disposal," U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NUREG/BR-0216, May 2002.
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