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The most harmful of which are gamma rays. When the human body is exposed to radiation, it can cause tumors and can do extreme damage to the reproductive organs. For this reason, problems associated with radioactivity can be passed on to the victim's children as well. That is why radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants is so dangerous.
What else can I help you with?
Why are nuclear waste at times said to be a problem which is too complicated to solve?
Nuclear wastes are sometimes said to be a problem too difficult to solve because the waste stays radioactive for so long. The only thing that gets rid of nuclear waste is time.
What would happen if nuclear waste was disposed of into an open volcano?
No physical or chemical process can alter the radioactivity of the waste, so it will still be there whatever you do with it. If the volcano is active, when the next lava flow occurs the nuclear waste will be ejected with the volcanic matter, so it would be a very bad idea. The idea for long term waste disposal is to find somewhere very geologically stable where it will stay for thousands of years without any risk of returning to the earth's surface, just the opposite of the volcano's contents.
What are the different levels of nuclear waste?
There are three main categories of nuclear waste:High Level Waste, including waste fuel and similar materialsIntermediate Level Waste, such as materials from reactor decommissioning, sludge, and so on, that require shielding. This category is not in use in the United States. In the United States there is an intermediate level termed Transuranic Waste, which consists of materials that contain transuranic elements due to contamination, and so need shielding.Low Level Waste, including materials contaminated with radioactive materials with short half lives, such as clothing, paper, filters, tools, and so on, that can be stored for a relatively short time and requires little, if any, shielding aside from short term burial
How is nuclear waste created?
High level nuclear waste is created in two main ways: - Nuclear energy reactors during normal operations generate radioactivity which affects metals and water in the plant; also used-up fuel is left over after being used for reaction. - Nuclear weapons programs use nuclear reactors to create plutonium with a lot of radioactive byproducts. The leftover materials and just about everything that comes near the weapons material becomes nuclear waste. Low level nuclear waste is created in many ways, some of them not so obvious. - Hospitals use radiation in cancer treatment, nuclear imaging, etc. - Homes use radioactive materials in smoke detectors. - Naturally occurring radiation can effectively be concentrated in air and water filters, such as radon filters for well water. - Naturally occurring radiation can be concentrated in coal ash by coal-fired power plants, often along with dangerous pollutants like mercury. There are many other sources of low level nuclear waste and many tons of it must be safely disposed.
Where should nuclear waste not be stored?
This is a trick question Nuclear waste should not be stored at all. But as we have some and need to store it, where is an important consideration. Transport is risky. Where you store it has to be able to handle it if it leaks for a million years or so, at least until its safe to handle. The US government has a facility that sounds good, A old salt mine that could hold the danger for a very long time. But is it really in a geologically stable place? Can it leak waste? Will there be an accident moving the waste? Should special storage be built where the waste is?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear waste?
Two disadvantages of nuclear waste are: disposal of nuclear waste is very expensive and takes a long time, and nuclear waste is radioactive. The advantages are: nuclear power plants are usually built on a coast, so the risk of contaminating drinking water is low; nuclear waste does not emit carbon into the air.
Why are nuclear waste sometimes said to be a problem too difficult to solve?
Nuclear wastes are sometimes said to be a problem too difficult to solve because the waste stays radioactive for so long. The only thing that gets rid of nuclear waste is time.
What is a method of safe handing hazardous waste?
It depends on the waste material. Methods appropriate for chemical hazards would not be so for nuclear waste.
Why are nuclear waste at times said to be a problem which is too complicated to solve?
Nuclear wastes are sometimes said to be a problem too difficult to solve because the waste stays radioactive for so long. The only thing that gets rid of nuclear waste is time.
What does the nuclear waste policy act of 1982 accomplish?
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 set a timetable for both temporary and permanent storage of nuclear waste in the United States by the mid 1990s. There is no permanent storage facility, and there are no temporary storage facilities, so one might be tempted to say the act did not accomplish anything at all. Nevertheless, it did enable the nuclear industry to create waste without having a place or procedure to deal with it.
What kind of toxic waste is produced near nuclear energy?
It is produced by the product of a nuclear plant by the uranium turning waste/gunk radioactive and the gunk flowing through waste pipes and having a black tint -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Actually Uranium gets split into Barium and Krypton along with release of immense heat energy. These by products are highly radioactive. These would emit harmful gamma radiations. These are considered as nuclear waste. Some innovative techniques have to be found so as to recycle these without any harm. Definitely human brain would catch that soon.
Why people are fearful of nuclear power?
Probably becaause the dangers of not handling the fuel, and waste products proplerly - or that the reaction might go out of control. Nuclear power is safe - so long as all safeguards and waste-handling procedures are adhered to.
Is nuclear power becoming cleaner?
Some advancements in nuclear technology are making nuclear power cleaner by increasing efficiency, reducing waste, and enhancing safety measures. However, challenges like storage of radioactive waste and potential accidents still exist, so further research and improvements are needed to maximize the cleaner potential of nuclear power.
Why does Russia want nuclear waste?
The only reasons I can think of for such a want is money (which can be charged for taking the waste; in Russia they have enough space to do so safely) and recycling the waste (thus gaining more fissionable material for free, provided you can get it out of the waste).
Should nuclear waste be stored near plate boundaries?
A long term repository for nuclear waste is required to be geologically stable, so that we can be sure it will not change over many thousands of years. A subduction zone might seem a good idea, getting rid of the waste into the earth's mantle for a very long time, but the movements are not predictable and are accompanied by earthquakes so perhaps not such a good idea.
Is Nuclear energy boon or bane give a suitable reply?
So far nuclear energy should be called bane. The waste disposal problems and reactor accidents outweigh its lack of emissions.
Is Nuclear power plant a clean energy source?
Nuclear power plants are considered a low-carbon energy source because they do not produce greenhouse gas emissions during operation. However, nuclear power generation does produce radioactive waste that needs to be managed and stored. So while nuclear power can be considered relatively clean in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the storage and disposal of nuclear waste remain significant challenges.
