Humankind has had a long relationship with power, being the energy sort of it. And since we have begun to use it, a search has prevailed to find an ultimate source to solve all of our power-related issues. Fossil fuels are limited by abundance, hydroelectric is held back by the amount of water, wind power by the elements, and solar by quantity; all sources have a limit. But we may very well have already discovered the solution, but hide behind fear too often to use it.
When Ernest Walton and John Cockcroft split the atom in 1932, they had unlocked the key to the most powerful energy resource known to man: atomic energy. Not long after, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission, the process used in nuclear power plants and atomic weapons.
Despite their similar processes, the power plants and the weapons ought not to be held in close association. Atom bombs are a weapon worthy of the fear they generate by their own existence. Nuclear power plants, however, only warrant a fraction of what they get. The common danger they share is radioactive contamination.
Atom bombs release radiation upon detonation, and it culminates in power plants via operation. With the bombs, radiation seeps into the ground, the surrounding environment, and the atmosphere. Nuclear plants have unique ways of storing and dispersing radiation.
Though nuclear waste is a common point of contention, the place where most people’s fear is sparked comes from the threat of nuclear meltdowns. Scenarios popularized by events like Fukushima Daiichi of 2011, Three Mile Island of 1979, and, of course, Chernobyl of 1986.
Chernobyl was the most disastrous of the group, yielding two immediate deaths, with 20 more in the following weeks, and a number estimated to be around eight million people were affected by radiation in the territories surrounding the plant, being Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. It is also estimated that there may be 50,000-plus deaths due to cancer caused by the radiation.
However, Chernobyl stands as the only meltdown to have radiation-related deaths. The reactor meltdown in itself was a result of flawed design and improper training for its employees.
The Fukushima meltdown was a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which sent a tsunami towards the coast that caused widespread damage and nearly 20,000 deaths. Fukushima’s power was disabled, and 12 of 13 backup generators were disabled, leading to inadequate power to keep the reactors cooled.
However, no deaths would occur from radiation after the disaster. The highest radiation levels are those within the plant. Those within the surrounding area are low enough for people to return to Fukushima, and around 280,000 people are living there today.
But with any means of generating energy, it needs a power source of its own. The fuel of nuclear reactors comes from uranium, a natural metal, which is mined in two different ways. The most commonly thought of is open-pit mining, large aboveground excavations of the earth, eventually branching into mines. The second style, being in situ leaching, is where a cavern is dug to find the ores; then, it is filled with a chemical solution that extracts the metal from the rock and brings it up through a pipe.
The largest uranium mines were operated by the Navajo Native Americans in New Mexico, offering jobs that helped boost their economy and advance into the modern era. But as recorded by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the Navajo were at the time unaware of the harmful effects of radiation. “Virtually all of the Navajo miners report that they were not educated about the hazards of uranium mining and were not provided with protective equipment or ventilation.”
And for the various ways radioactive material is used, there are many ways to dispose of it. As it remains radioactive and harmful, it must be contained. Power plants have fuel rods and pellets within the reactor that soak up the radiation. Once they are spent, they undergo two processes.
The first is spent fuel pools, elaborated upon by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC). “The water-pool option involves storing spent fuel assemblies under at least 20 feet of water, which provides adequate shielding from the radiation for anyone near the pool. The assemblies are moved into the water pools from the reactor along the bottom of water canals so that the spent fuel is always shielded to protect workers.”
Through this process, the water absorbs the radiation from the rods and keeps it from simply releasing into the air.
The second, which usually is enacted after the fuel pools, is dry cask storage, also explained by U.S. NRC. “The casks are typically steel cylinders that are either welded or bolted closed. The steel cylinder provides a leak-tight confinement of the spent fuel. Each cylinder is surrounded by additional steel, concrete, or other material to provide radiation shielding to workers and members of the public.”
However, the biggest issue that comes from anything with the word “nuclear” attached is human negligence. As of today, every accident has been labeled as human-related, often due to flawed designs.
Chernobyl was a result of its time during the Cold War, as addressed by the World Nuclear Association. “The April 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was the product of a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with serious mistakes made by the plant operators. It was a direct consequence of Cold War isolation and the resulting lack of any safety culture.”
Another bad accident, relating to storage, was the Church Rock Uranium Mill spill of 1979. The uranium mill owned by the United Nuclear Corporation stored its waste in tailings pools, tailings being a byproduct of uranium processing. However, the pool was neither lined nor established on solid ground. And on July 16, 1979, the dam built to hold the pool collapsed, releasing the contaminated water and waste into the Puerco River.
The dam, made of sediment and rock, was known to be compromised well in advance of its
breach, as told by the Intermountain Histories. “The failure of United Nuclear’s dam was no mystery; cracks were reported in the 75-foot earthen structure nearly two years prior to the spill, but no action was taken.”
As a result, the 1700 Navajo people who relied on the Puerco for most every water-related need were poisoned by it, and even today the water remains radioactive.
Due to the mistakes of the past, nuclear power, and the procurement of its fuel, yield a tarnished reputation. Yet with the advancement of time, it may very well be the path forward. Nearly 450 nuclear power plants are in operation today, and in the United States, around 20 percent of used energy is generated by nuclear fission.
Nuclear energy production is far more inexpensive than other forms of energy, making it more favorable in those regards. However, the biggest concern of a full switch to the energy source would be the cost of producing enough power plants to be sustainable, similar to other forms like solar and wind energy.
With such large construction projects, it could prove to be too costly before it has a chance to give back.
But with new generations entering the workforce, or preparing to, the operation of the world will be in new hands to choose what works. Nuclear could be the best option, or the most devastating, and awareness of its pros and cons is pivotal.
