WHat is it?
According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, High-level wastes take the form of:
- Spent nuclear reactor fuel ("High-Level" 1).
- Waste material and fuel that is left over after spent fuel has been reprocessed in order to be usable again in a nuclear reactor ("High-Level" 1).
Disposal
An article titled "Nuclear Power" depicts this dilemma of what to do with high-level wastes. It stated “these highly radioactive pellets must be disposed of in a safe manner, but almost seventy years after the first controlled reaction, no method has yet been discovered to address this issue” (“Nuclear Power” 4). The problem is not specifically that we do not know of a way to dispose of the high-level wastes, it is that we do not know of a way to safely dispose of such wastes so that they are not harmful to the environment. The only way that we know how to do so is by storing the high-level wastes far from any biological life form and allowing the elements to undergo radioactive decay. Radioactive decay is the process by which an unstable element -- as are the elements found in high-level wastes from the fuel of the nuclear reactor-- breaks up into particles that are less radioactive and harmful to biological life forms. The half-life depicts the amount of time that it requires radioactive elements to decrease to half of their original mass. In James A. Mahaffey's book titled Nuclear Power: The History of Nuclear Power, Mahaffey discusses the average half life of radioactive wastes by ranging from "microseconds to thousands of years" (Mahaffey 128).
Currently, the United States is looking for a permanent disposal site for high-level nuclear wastes. A site in the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was proposed as a potential site for permanent disposal, however, before the site was finished, it was challenged by politics and faced legal constraints which both prevented the completion and institution of this high-level waste disposal site. Although this disposal of high level wastes is not solely a problem in the United States: as author William Martin puts it, "despite years of research into the science and technology of geologic disposal, no permanent disposal site is in use anywhere in the world” (Martin 5). In addition, if a site was to be established in the world, it would be very difficult to actually contain the radioactive wastes due to the length of the half-life of some radioactive elements ranging to thousands of years. Robert William Collin writes in his article titled "Nuclear Power" that if we were able to build a high-level wastes disposal site, “it may not be possible to make warning signs that last long enough” (Collin 5). He continues to explain the difficulties with a permanent disposal site due to a variety of environmental disasters such as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes that could potentially destroy the structural integrity of the containment center, causing leaks in the dangerous material (Collin 5).
Ongoing research works to find a way to deplete the amount of radioactive wastes. One way is through the use of Fast Neutron Reactors -- also known as "Breeder Reactors" -- which are capable of burning part of the wastes within the reactor itself, decreasing the amount of high-level wastes produced by these reactors. The implementation of these nuclear reactors are able to decrease the output of high-level wastes, but there is still the problem of storing the wastes: all we know now is to store it in large casks, separated from biological life forms, and allow the radioactive wastes to undergo the natural process of radioactive decay, causing the elements to decrease in their radioactivity, and become safer to handle.
Currently, the United States is looking for a permanent disposal site for high-level nuclear wastes. A site in the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was proposed as a potential site for permanent disposal, however, before the site was finished, it was challenged by politics and faced legal constraints which both prevented the completion and institution of this high-level waste disposal site. Although this disposal of high level wastes is not solely a problem in the United States: as author William Martin puts it, "despite years of research into the science and technology of geologic disposal, no permanent disposal site is in use anywhere in the world” (Martin 5). In addition, if a site was to be established in the world, it would be very difficult to actually contain the radioactive wastes due to the length of the half-life of some radioactive elements ranging to thousands of years. Robert William Collin writes in his article titled "Nuclear Power" that if we were able to build a high-level wastes disposal site, “it may not be possible to make warning signs that last long enough” (Collin 5). He continues to explain the difficulties with a permanent disposal site due to a variety of environmental disasters such as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes that could potentially destroy the structural integrity of the containment center, causing leaks in the dangerous material (Collin 5).
Ongoing research works to find a way to deplete the amount of radioactive wastes. One way is through the use of Fast Neutron Reactors -- also known as "Breeder Reactors" -- which are capable of burning part of the wastes within the reactor itself, decreasing the amount of high-level wastes produced by these reactors. The implementation of these nuclear reactors are able to decrease the output of high-level wastes, but there is still the problem of storing the wastes: all we know now is to store it in large casks, separated from biological life forms, and allow the radioactive wastes to undergo the natural process of radioactive decay, causing the elements to decrease in their radioactivity, and become safer to handle.
Photo depicts the North Entrance of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Wastes Repository. Image from source