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This is anti-Nuclear FUD. By a few thousand years, the most dangerous isotopes will be decayed. I doubt that the danger of a few people being exposed to these

This is anti-Nuclear FUD. By a few thousand years, the most dangerous isotopes will be decayed. I doubt that the danger of a few people being exposed to these isotopes would actually be anything compared to the dangers of a civilization collapse. In addition, knowing humans, I think it is futile. I think no matter what you put, some curious human will want to find out. Think about it. Suppose we come across some alien UFO crash. Inside the crash site was a box with all sorts of scary looking markings. Do you really think no one would open the box because of those markings?

cogman10 3y ago
There's also the problem that what's scary depends a lot on culture. Really hard to believe that somehow cultural traditions making a marking scary would somehow survive but the actual knowledge to know this site has nuclear waste wouldn't.
- Terr_ 3y ago
  I think it's safe to say that pictures of human skulls would still convey danger, unless our post-collapse descendants got really mutated.
  - cogman10 3y ago
    Would it? What if future human society collects and/or reveres the skulls of ancestors?
    - Terr_ 3y ago
      IANAAnthropologist, but I'd still wager that: 1. It's still most-associated with death, dying, and danger versus almost any other symbol one could pick. 2. Reverence or trust comes from it being their own ancestors rather than unidentified skulls of strangers involving unfamiliar ceremonies or no ceremonies at all. Taboo criminals leave skeletons too.
      - cogman10 3y ago
        Plenty of cultures throughout history have bone collections. Consider, for example, the Sedlec Ossuary [1]. Where human remains are used for ornate decorations. And, even today, is a common tourist attraction. Those skulls aren't there to warn people away. Even if there's a death association, it's not one of "stay away", rather, it's one of "come see". [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary
deleted 3y ago
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tbrownaw 3y ago
> I think no matter what you put, some curious human will want to find out. Yeah. Don't the pyramids have warnings on them about getting cursed and such? I'd imagine these would be taken about as seriously.
- mc32 3y ago
  That depends on the belief system. Curses did prevent people from doing things —it’s just that most of today’s peoples don’t believe in curses. Less educated societies did believe in curses.
  - RcouF1uZ4gsC 3y ago
    The pyramids were robbed in ancient times.
    - mc32 3y ago
      So, yes some thieves were intrepid and did rob. However, with radiation, the curse will reinforce itself. Those who ignore it will perish and the legend of the curse will increase. This curse will not be an empty one.
      - mcmoor 3y ago
        Reminds me of Shi Huang Di's Forbidden Tomb's "curse" is... Mercury. We today preserve it for scientific reasons but before, ain't no thief will try to do anything about it.
    - qup 3y ago
      Maybe there's loopholes in curses. Like you just send your unwitting child in. Or a slave or prisoner. I don't know, I never read one myself.
est31 3y ago
> By a few thousand years, the most dangerous isotopes will be decayed. I wondered about this claim because it could easily be (dis-)proven by a curve. And no, it seems that the waste remains dangerous for quite a while due to actinides. See this curve: https://whatisnuclear.com/img/ingestion-radiotoxicity-nuclear-waste.png https://whatisnuclear.com/img/ingestion-radiotoxicity-nuclea... Now, people say that these actinides can be turned into non-dangerous things, which is great, but the P&T process has not been developed yet. It might turn out to be vaporware. See also: https://www.base.bund.de/EN/ns/ni-germany/transmutation/transmutation.html https://www.base.bund.de/EN/ns/ni-germany/transmutation/tran...

cogman10 3y ago

There's also the problem that what's scary depends a lot on culture. Really hard to believe that somehow cultural traditions making a marking scary would somehow survive but the actual knowledge to know this site has nuclear waste wouldn't.

Terr_ 3y ago
I think it's safe to say that pictures of human skulls would still convey danger, unless our post-collapse descendants got really mutated.
- cogman10 3y ago
  Would it? What if future human society collects and/or reveres the skulls of ancestors?
  - Terr_ 3y ago
    IANAAnthropologist, but I'd still wager that: 1. It's still most-associated with death, dying, and danger versus almost any other symbol one could pick. 2. Reverence or trust comes from it being their own ancestors rather than unidentified skulls of strangers involving unfamiliar ceremonies or no ceremonies at all. Taboo criminals leave skeletons too.
    - cogman10 3y ago
      Plenty of cultures throughout history have bone collections. Consider, for example, the Sedlec Ossuary [1]. Where human remains are used for ornate decorations. And, even today, is a common tourist attraction. Those skulls aren't there to warn people away. Even if there's a death association, it's not one of "stay away", rather, it's one of "come see". [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary

deleted 3y ago

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tbrownaw 3y ago

> I think no matter what you put, some curious human will want to find out. Yeah. Don't the pyramids have warnings on them about getting cursed and such? I'd imagine these would be taken about as seriously.

mc32 3y ago
That depends on the belief system. Curses did prevent people from doing things —it’s just that most of today’s peoples don’t believe in curses. Less educated societies did believe in curses.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 3y ago
  The pyramids were robbed in ancient times.
  - mc32 3y ago
    So, yes some thieves were intrepid and did rob. However, with radiation, the curse will reinforce itself. Those who ignore it will perish and the legend of the curse will increase. This curse will not be an empty one.
    - mcmoor 3y ago
      Reminds me of Shi Huang Di's Forbidden Tomb's "curse" is... Mercury. We today preserve it for scientific reasons but before, ain't no thief will try to do anything about it.
  - qup 3y ago
    Maybe there's loopholes in curses. Like you just send your unwitting child in. Or a slave or prisoner. I don't know, I never read one myself.

est31 3y ago

> By a few thousand years, the most dangerous isotopes will be decayed. I wondered about this claim because it could easily be (dis-)proven by a curve. And no, it seems that the waste remains dangerous for quite a while due to actinides. See this curve: https://whatisnuclear.com/img/ingestion-radiotoxicity-nuclear-waste.png https://whatisnuclear.com/img/ingestion-radiotoxicity-nuclea... Now, people say that these actinides can be turned into non-dangerous things, which is great, but the P&T process has not been developed yet. It might turn out to be vaporware. See also: https://www.base.bund.de/EN/ns/ni-germany/transmutation/transmutation.html https://www.base.bund.de/EN/ns/ni-germany/transmutation/tran...