On Mon, 2 Feb 1998 15:26:58 -0500 "GARY HEMMINGER" <Hemmig@d-e.pvt.k12.nj.us>
Wrote: "I've never been able to understand those who argue in favor of
nuclear power. We are constantly creating more and more nuclear
waste with these plants, and there is still no where to put it!
And who is proposing to dispose of it safely? The government!
Doesn't that make one just a little bit nervous?
REPLY:
There is no unsolved problem with nuclear waste unless you refuse to
recycle your nuclear fuel, as is the case in the US. (President Carter
made the rule because he thought it would reduce the usef of plutonium for
bombs.) Other countries with significant nuclear energy, such as France,
Japan and UK all recycle their used fuel. Failing to recycle means that 97%
of the useable energy is "buried" and wasted. Recycled fuel has much less
volume and much shorter half-lives. There is no problem handling the small
volume of waste. The problem is not as serious as the "waste" from fossil
fuel plants, most of which is released to the environment. The volume of
waste from fossil fuels is roughly a million times greater than the
equivalent nuclear waste..
I would like to mention a new book that is worth reading; NUCLEAR
POWER - VILLIAN OR VICTIM? by Max Carbon. There are other good books such
as UNDERSTANDING RADIATION by Bjorn Wahlstrom and BLUEBELLS & NUCLEAR
ENERGY by Albert Reynolds. All of these books give a balanced picture of
radiation, nuclear waste, etc. The last book has a very understandable
chapter on the new, safer designs of reactors. I was involved in one way or
another with each of these books but I have no financial involvement. The
first book can be obtained from Pebble Beach Publishers in Madison, WI. It
is probably easiest to send an e-mail to Max Carbon: carbon@engr.wisc.edu
The last two books can be ordered from Medical Physics Publishing in
Madison, WI MPP's e-mail is mpp@medicalphysics.org. Their web page is
www.medicalphysics.org.
For those concerned about radiation remember that your own body is
one of the most radioactive things around - typically over 9,000 Bq for an
adult. The natural radioactivity in the earth is estimated to produce 2700
gigawatts of power! The equivalent of 2700 nuclear power plants.
For those interested in beneficial effects of low level radiation
see the article by Prof. T.D. Luckey THE EVIDENCE FOR RADIATION HORMESIS in
21st Century Fall of 1996. I can mail you a copy if you are interested.
It is important that physics teachers know the facts about about
radiation, radioactivity and nuclear power. If I can help, let me know.
Best wishes, John Cameron
John R. Cameron, Prof. Emeritus UW-Madison
2678 SW 14th Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608-2050
Phones: 352/371-9865; Fax: 352/371-9866; e-mail: jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu