Most danderous nuke waste dump in US

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by GTOlover

hmm we should just shoot the nuclear waste into the sun and problem solved since the sun is a giant nuclear reaction anyways we are just giving it some more fuel

Are you going to be the first to step up, go to Hanford and don a radiation suit?

Handling nuclear waste that is contaminated with plutonium ain't exactly a stroll in the park. Plutonium is a heavy metal. but unlike lead, a particle the size of a pin head will kill you dead if you inhale it, or get it under your skin. Less than lethal doses make for genetic defects of all kinds.

Plutonium does not exist is it's pure state in nature. That is why it hasn't killed us all already. But, as a heavy metal, it's heavier than lead or gold. Plutonium will sink to the bottom, whatever the bottom is, and will concentrate there at the bottom, if there is enough of it. It likes itself a lot.

But that's a great plan if you're willing. Go for it! I'll pay for the rocket.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by uggabugga

and how many billions of dollars have already been spent making that happen? all those endless studies and surveys..

So, why don't we create a nuclear storage in your area, Ugga?
Nuclear waste is the ultimate Not In My Backyard!

Most of the waste actually consists of stuff that is actually not contaminated. It is only materials of all kinds that could be contaminated because it was used in spaces where radioactive materials were present. But the stuff that is truly radioactive is impossible to sort out for possible recycling in most circumstances.

And the dangerous stuff is truly the stuff of nightmares. There is literally no way anywhere can be 100% secure from possible leakage into the area at large.

Yucca Mountain is close to the 31st most populous city in the nation. Back when it was selected, Las Vegas was nowhere as big as it became.

I believe that the notion of one dump is ridiculous. Every area that benefits from having nuclear weapons within it's territory, or every area that benefits from the use of peaceful nuclear energy, should bear part of the responsibility of the long-term storage that comes from it. A thousand small dumps are both safer and less disastrous than one big one.