No, but the spent fuel must be carefully stored after use because it does contain dangerous radioactivity.
Mostly the long lived radioactivity left in the spent fuel, but also any leakage from a damaged plant as at Fukushima.
The radioactivity of the spent fuel, and the possibility of release to the surroundingsThe biggest concern about nuclear power is the possible meltdown of the reactor causing a massive release of radiation material into the atmosphere.
A nuclear chain reaction caused by nuclear fission can become a problem if it is not controlled, leading to a nuclear meltdown and release of harmful radiation. This can result in serious health risks to people living in the vicinity of the reactor, as well as environmental contamination. Additionally, the potential for nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism are also concerns related to uncontrolled nuclear chain reactions.
Spent fuel rods are dangerous to humans mainly due to their high levels of radioactivity. This radiation can cause severe health effects, such as increased risk of cancer, organ damage, and radiation sickness. Proper handling and storage of spent fuel rods are crucial to prevent exposure to this harmful radiation.
One of the biggest concerns about nuclear power is the risk of radioactive leaks and accidents, such as the meltdown at Chernobyl or Fukushima. These incidents can have serious environmental and health consequences for surrounding areas.
There is still appreciable heat being produced in spent fuel after it is unloaded, due to the radioactivity of the fission products, so it needs to be cooled. A water filled pond does this, and also provides shielding so that the fuel assemblies can be manipulated under water into containers for storage. At some later time, when the radioactivity has dropped off, and if required, the assemblies can be removed into dry casks, but they would still need to be shielded for personnel protection.
Americium is extracted from spent nuclear fuels where is formed by nuclear reactions.
Well...I cannot say about how much has been the money spent on nuclear arms worldwide but nuclear weapons have cost the United States at least $5.48 trillion since 1940....!!
The most likely disaster in a nuclear power plant is a loss of coolant accident, where there is a failure in the cooling system leading to overheating of the reactor core. This can result in a meltdown and release of radioactive materials. Containment breaches and fuel rod fires are other potential disasters in a nuclear power plant.
Irradiation of uranium in nuclear reactors, separation from the spent nuclear fuel, refining
We don't normally allow this to happen, the nuclear waste is tightly controlled. But after a disaster as at Chernobyl, the surrounding area is contaminated with radioactive fall out, so crops grown there or animals grazed there would also be affected.