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BTW, why are we so much more worried about shipping spent rods than
fresh ones, which are being shipped all the time with no apparent
controversy. There may be a good explanation for this. I just don't
know one.
I was wondering about this too, but then had an idea. Presumably the mass
& volume are similar before and after use. However, the uranium fuel has a
1/2 life of ~10^9 years, while the waste is ~10^3 yr. This means an equal
amount of material is 10^6 more radioactive. Also, the shorter half-life
means higher energy radiation, which further increases the danger.
Tim Folkerts
Department of Physics
Fort Hays State University
Hays, KS 67601
785-628-4501