Nuclear waste, the product of power plantsby | 21-05-2017 11:03 |
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At the beginning of the month, the media reported about a possible leak in a nuclear site in Washington state in the US. This brought forward a lot of information about nuclear waste and its impact in our environment to the public. But what is nuclear waste and what impact does it have?As you may know in a nuclear reactor a neutron is flung to nuclear fuel nucleus, which causes atoms to split, which is the so called fission. A big part of the energy is instantly released but there are other remains that are unstable and will release their energy between the moment of the fission and a thousand years later. This last products are what we call radioactive and the decay of radioactive elements has serious consequences on the environment and the people if they aren't well taken care of. Some of these fatal consequences include mutations in humans and animals and diseases such as cancer. Clearly, these effects are long term and affect entire species. But how is nuclear waste usually disposed? To cool down the nuclear waste it is kept underwater until it reaches a certain temperature. Afterwards they are put into a sort of metal coffins to contain the radiation and sealed in underground chambers, where the remains are left to decompose on their own. By doing this, they isolate the waste and avoid interactions with people, water supplies, animals and plants. That is if it is well taken care off.
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