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;void(0)) What I like about the ongoing presidential debates is that when these politicians get to cussing each other out all kinds of things come out of their mouths. One of those things that they made brief mention of while their road show stopped in Nevada was the issue of Yucca Mountain. Yucca Mountain is the site that our country has picked as a good place to dispose of our most lethal nuclear waste. The site was commissioned by the government in 1982 but, due to repeated protests from environmental groups, it is still awaiting licensure. Since the disasters at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union and Three Mile Island here in the United States, we as a nation, have grown wary of most things radioactive. Thus, most talk of radioactive waste has caused the government to grow petrified whenever the topic of a final resting place for disposal is discussed. Like most other developed countries in the world that use nuclear energy, we only have temporary storage areas. We are waiting for the long-term disposal solution that has eluded scientists and government leader since the atomic era emerged some 6 decades ago. Nuclear disposal has become an industry. There is literally hundreds of thousands of tons of waste that nuclear plants produce each year, and the lucrative, mysterious business of storage grows ever more secretive. Word on the block (Greenpeace) has been that the European nations have been dumping their waste in Russia with the full compliance of that financially strapped country. With talk of alternatives to fossil fuels there has been renewed interest in nuclear energy. Industry spokespersons are out to quell a generation of scares and suspicion, saying nuclear power is less dangerous to humans and the environment than burning oil or coal. The splitting of uranium atoms in a nuclear reactor creates exceptional levels of heat that drives turbines to provide electricity. The process creates radioactive isotopes that take about 30 years to lose half their reactivity. Higher levels have a half-life of 24,000 years. Direct exposure to such highly radioactive material, even for a short period, can be fatal. Indirect exposure through seepage into the ground-water, can lead to life-threatening illness for those living nearby and environmental damage. For now, the best scientific solution for getting rid of the most lethal waste is to shove it deep underground. Recycling it produces plutonium which could be used in nuclear weapons – so the United States bans it, fearing proliferation. At the other end of the idea spectrum is to shoot into outter space (dangerous because of the volatility of rocket fuel). France seems to be the leader in nuclear research. It relies on nuclear energy for about 70% of its electricity. They are woking on new chemical processes that would shrink nuclear waste and cool it faster. However, it will be at least 2040 before this might be put to use according to leading scientists. Could the devastation that America visited upon the people of Japan be coming back to haunt us in a subtle but more insidious way? In the next edition of The Aton Project we will discuss some of effects of nuclear radiation and what the critics of the Yucca Mountain project are concerned about. Please e-mail me and let me know your thoughts on this matter. Oh yeah, don't forget your autographed copy of “The Ackee Chronicles”. Tony VanSluytman - the Author  Newsletter Directory The Aton Project - Home Page Tony VanSluytman info Tony VanSluytman - the Author | Return Home | The BOOK DOCTOR | The BANYON NETWORK | The Banyon Buzz Newsletters | The Aton Project Newsletters | Contact Us | |
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