Nuclear Legacy Essay, Research Paper

Nuclear Legacy & # 8221 ; There is 10 1000 dozenss of atomic waste on Earth. & # 8221 ; Many scientist are insearch for new and efficient ways to dispose of these deadly byproducts which candestroy life itself. Radioactive merchandises can be either good or lay waste toing. It alldepends on how we use them. In the field of medical specialty, some benefit from radiationinclude, radiation therapy for malignant neoplastic disease patients. Not all utilizations of radiation prove to bebeneficial. Many use the power of the atom for destructive intents, presenting anage of atomic warfare. It doesn & # 8217 ; t affair if we use radiation for good or bad intents, they all contribute to the turning rate of & # 8220 ; unwanted atomic waste. & # 8221 ; The issue now is, how do we dispose of these atomic wastes? Scientist have thought of several methods to dispose the atomic by-products.They tried to chemically handle the waste and recycle it, but & # 8220 ; that would be a luck & # 8221 ; . They thought of establishing the waste into outer infinite but it excessively will be a luck. They tried to dump barrels filled with atomic waste into the ocean but they startedleaking. As you can see, there is a great demand for a atomic waste disposal site. Thesesites may sound terrorization, but it may be the lone manner for us to dispose thedevastation we had longed to make. In 1986, the determination for a atomic wastedepositary proved to be & # 8220 ; the most awful determination of the decade. & # 8221 ; Of these sites, three were chosen to be the & # 8220 ; most suited & # 8221 ; for the disposal of atomic by-products.These three sites consisted of Hanford, Washington ; Yuka Mountain, Nevada ; andDefsmith, Texas.Hanford, Washington is a low populated U.S. metropolis, and is owned by theDepartment of Energy. A low populated metropolis is an ideal site for radioactive disposal.Although the metropolis of Hanford is sparsely populated, geologists fear the possibility of anuclear ooze into the Colombia river. The Columbia River is an of import factor forthe U.S. production of wheat. & # 8220 ; This makes it the worst of site, & # 8221 ; says the geologist. Ifthe Colombia River is contaminated with atomic waste, it will take to the contaminationof land environing the big organic structure of H2O, therefore doing land unserviceable. Radioactivecontamination of the Colombia river will impact both America & # 8217 ; s economic system andagricultural production. Yuka mountain, Nevada is a to a great extent guarded desert part of America. It is faraway from any lakes, rivers, or oceans, and its depository is located above land waterlevels. These geological conditions make Yuka mountain an about perfect topographic point fornuclear waste disposal to take topographic point. This is due to the possibilities of earthquakesoccurring rather often within this country. It is said by the geologist that & # 8220 ; if anearthquake was likely to happen, it will merely agitate the atomic stuffs, non plenty tomake them leak. & # 8221 ; Yuka mountain is unluckily located 70 stat mis from Las Vegas, Nevada, a widely known tourer attractive force. Therefore doing Yuka mountain an unsoundplace for atomic disposal.Defsmith, Texas is known as the & # 8220 ; most productive metropolis in Texas & # 8221 ; . The farmersfrom Defsmith rely on the Ogallala aquifer as a beginning of H2O for agricultural growing.

If a

radioactive disposal site is created in this city, a large pipe extending through theOgallala aquifer will have to be built, thus threatening the rich and fertile farmland. Theconstruction of a disposal site will also affect the genetic pureness of the seeds whichfarmers waited so long to obtain. So much value will be lost if a disposal site were to becreated in Defsmith, making it not worth completing. If I was a member of the Department of Energy and had to choose one of thesesites, I would have to choose Yuka mountain, Nevada for its ideal geologicalconditions. This area is widely uninhabited and does not pose a danger to the groundwater supply. If earthquakes occur, not much would happen, as the geologist stated.Although Yuka mountain is 70 miles from Las Vegas, I would try to have the cityevacuated and moved to a more safeguarded location. thus making Yuka mountain the”most reliable” nuclear waste disposal site of the three. If I was a member of the Department of Energy and could not in goodconscious choose one of these three sites, I would propose a plan to launch nuclearwaste-filled lead capsules into an area in outer space with high levels of naturalradiation. Although it may cost a fortune, any price is worth saving the Earth. I believethat by launching these capsules into space, our Earth will be left unaffected and freefrom the possibility of leakage. (As by creating disposal sites, the Earth is still at riskfrom a possible radioactive leak). If we launch these pellets to areas in space with highnatural radiation, a leak in the pellet will not be as disastrous as a leak occurring onEarth. The radiation being emitted from the capsule will then combine with the sourceof natural radiation, resulting in a neutral reaction, and will not have an affect on ourplanet. If I were a member in one of these communities, I would take the Departmentof energy to court, because they have no right to take away any of the rights we areentitled to as citizens of America. Second of all, I would petition to the governmentthat we have the construction of these disposal sites to be halted, as they endanger thelives of many Americans. Lastly, I would ask the Department of energy to find anothersolution to this “Nuclear Legacy”. I have learned that we must always take responsibility for our actions. In thiscase, those who have decided to create radioactive products lacked the responsibility todispose of them. The consequences resulting from our lack of responsibility is utterlydevastating. It is frightening how our new creations and discoveries can be sodestructive despite their benefits. I was indeed inspired from this video. I will do all I can to help reduceradioactive pollution by the source. Through the video, I saw how dangerous nuclearwaste can be to the environment, and how it affects our entire planet, not simply asindividuals. The debris left from the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan had a great impact onme. I was heartbroken by the sight of the many people who were killed and those whowere left to die. It is thoroughly frustrating to see how one discovery, the discovery ofthe atom, had changed the way we view the world today.