4 ms·

Storing nuclear waste is a very technically solvable problem. Politically, it is difficult to solve because most people are terrified of it and have "not in my

Storing nuclear waste is a very technically solvable problem. Politically, it is difficult to solve because most people are terrified of it and have "not in my backyard" syndrome. The dangerous radiation is simply not going to be around for 25,000 years. We need to be really really sure that the harmful stuff is safe for 100-200 years. That doesn't seem hard to me considering a couple million people a day are driving over bridges into NYC that are 100+ years old. Steel and concrete last a pretty long time. Water absorbs radiation pretty well. Combine it all with a hole deep into a dry dessert, and you are fine.

gnosis 14y ago
"Storing nuclear waste is a very technically solvable problem. Politically, it is difficult to solve because most people are terrified of it and have "not in my backyard" syndrome." There are very good reasons why people don't want nuclear waste in their back yard: 1) lack of trust in the people who build and maintain the containment units, 2) evidence of massive screwups at nuclear facilities that led to the likes of Chernobyl and Fukushima, not to mention smaller screwups, lies, and coverups of shoddy maintenance and safety issues at other nuclear facilities. The technical issues of nuclear waste containment might be solved, but the social issues related to who stores the waste have not. There are no guarantees that the waste will in fact be stored properly, and that the people who store the waste will be competent enough to do so, nor that they will refrain from cutting corners on safety so they can make a quick buck, earn some kickbacks, or score some political points.
rosser 14y ago
Water absorbs radiation pretty well. Water absorbs radiation incredibly well. You can swim in a spent-fuel pool, so long as you don't go too deep.
- eikenberry 14y ago
  http://what-if.xkcd.com/29/ http://what-if.xkcd.com/29/
yareally 14y ago
The fuel could be reused and reduce the amount of of waste. I believe the reason it is not is the threat politicians have been lead to believe that it can also be used to build weapons.

gnosis 14y ago

"Storing nuclear waste is a very technically solvable problem. Politically, it is difficult to solve because most people are terrified of it and have "not in my backyard" syndrome." There are very good reasons why people don't want nuclear waste in their back yard: 1) lack of trust in the people who build and maintain the containment units, 2) evidence of massive screwups at nuclear facilities that led to the likes of Chernobyl and Fukushima, not to mention smaller screwups, lies, and coverups of shoddy maintenance and safety issues at other nuclear facilities. The technical issues of nuclear waste containment might be solved, but the social issues related to who stores the waste have not. There are no guarantees that the waste will in fact be stored properly, and that the people who store the waste will be competent enough to do so, nor that they will refrain from cutting corners on safety so they can make a quick buck, earn some kickbacks, or score some political points.

rosser 14y ago

Water absorbs radiation pretty well. Water absorbs radiation incredibly well. You can swim in a spent-fuel pool, so long as you don't go too deep.

eikenberry 14y ago
http://what-if.xkcd.com/29/ http://what-if.xkcd.com/29/

yareally 14y ago

The fuel could be reused and reduce the amount of of waste. I believe the reason it is not is the threat politicians have been lead to believe that it can also be used to build weapons.