Editor:
In response to Kelly O’Neill’s column (“Nuclear waste too harmful,” Oct. 7), the key word in the article was “bury.” Very few types of harmful radiation can penetrate soil or other shielding. Additionally, please remember that all radiation is governed by the 1/r^2 law. That means for every unit of distance that you move away from a radioactive source, your exposure decreases exponentially. In other words, if you were exposed to 1 unit of radiation at 1 mile, then at 2 miles you would be exposed to 0.25 units, relative to the original quantity. At three miles, you would be exposed to 0.11 units.
Even during the worst nuclear-related accident in our nation’s history, Three Mile Island, residents were exposed to a radiation dose little more than a routine X-ray. I understand the common and usually misplaced fear of radioactive material, but that is all it is—fear.
I once completed an internship that required the daily use of a nuclear density tester. If I had not followed strict and clear safety protocol when using the device, I would now be dead from radiation poisoning. However, I clearly am not, and neither are the millions of other professionals who work with radioactive materials or sources every day. Walking under a smoke detector, you are exposed to deadly radioactive material. Walking through Temple Square, you are exposed to the radioactive decay of the granite (sorry folks, it’s true). And standing in the sun, you are exposed to high energy electromagnetic radiation.
Stop the politics of fear. Nuclear technology is the greenest technology on the planet in terms of energy yield to waste production and the waste production can be mitigated with reprocessing. The nasty stuff that is leftover can be reprocessed to nearly eliminate waste altogether. The alarmists and sensationalists who have kept nuclear energy impotent for the last 30 years either never took the time to learn the facts or had ulterior motives. We should encourage more shipments into Utah, not less. As a knowledgeable populous, we could lead the world in nuclear technology and our economy could greatly benefit.
Devin Heaps
Network administrator,
College of Engineering
The Daily Utah Chronicle > Opinion
Nuclear waste nothing to fear
Published: Friday, October 9, 2009
Updated: Friday, October 9, 2009
4 comments
Molly
No we shouldn't be burying waste in our own backyard. Even though properly processed nuclear waste is less radioactive than natural deposits of coal and natural gas, we need to think of the children.Also, I'm glad that our children are safer since no new nuclear power plants have been built since 3 Mile Island. It doesn't even matter that coal burning plants put off more radiation than nuclear power plants. We have to put our children's safety first.And what about Chernobyl? I know that American built nuclear reactors would have to break the laws of physics to actually undergo a catastrophic melt down, but should we put our children at risk by having blind faith in science? And no Devin, there is no radiation from decaying granite in Temple Square. Jesus keeps us safe from that.
Kat
Why not, my cousin in Ogden already lost two of her children to cancer... Woo hoo, more nuclear waste!
Rob
Awww, but Devin! We like running around with our hands in the air fretting about nonsense! It helps us hate republicans!
BYU sucks
Who told you that you could die from a nuclear density gauge? What a load of BS. I work with those regularly. The amount of radiation they give off is next to nothing, even with the source extracted from the device for repair. Other than that you made some good points.
