I fully expect Homeland Security to stop by. This information comes from the world wide web. Anyone can get it. There's a lot of nuclear waste out there, which is material for a "dirty bomb," which is simply an ordinary explosive wrapped in radioactive material that explodes and spreads radioactive stuff all over the place.
Did you know:
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Millstone Nuclear Reactor, in Waterford, Connecticut, currently has an estimated 1,518 tons of nuclear waste on-site and is generating nuclear waste at a rate of 103,400 pounds per year.
Dresden Nuclear Reactor in Grundy County, Illinois, which is somewhere out there near Chicago, currently has an estimated 2,078 tons of nuclear waste on site and is generating nuclear waste at a rate of 81,400 pounds per year.
The Peach Bottom Nuclear Reactor in York County, Pennsylvania, which is west of Philadelphia, currently has an estimated 1,400 tons of nuclear waste on site and is generating nuclear waste at a rate of 88,000 pounds per year.
Browns Ferry Nuclear Reactor, 10 miles from Decatur, Alabama, currently has an estimated 1,600 tons of nuclear waste on-site and is generating nuclear waste at a rate of 150,000 pounds per year.
Nine Mile Point Nuclear Reactor, Oswego, New York, currently has an estimated 1,545 metric tons of nuclear waste on site and is generating nuclear waste at a rate of 127,600 pounds per year. Nine Mile recently turned 35 years old and has the oldest reactor on the continent.
The spent nuclear fuel assemblies are stored in pools of water, just like the stuff from the faucet. Nothing special there. Here's something about Nine Mile, which is common to all 103 reactors in the U.S.:
Gaseous fission products such as Krypton-85 and Iodine-131 are produced by the fuel in the core during reactor operation. A small percentage of these fission gases is released to the reactor coolant from the small number of fuel assemblies that are expected to develop leaks during reactor operation. During refueling operations, some of these fission products enter the pool and are subsequently released into the air.
Don't you just love gaseous fission products? Fortunately, Iodine-131 has a half-life of only 8 days. Not so for Krypton-85, which has a half-life of almost 11 years. That will be circulating in the atmosphere for a long time. But it's an inert gas. It won't combine with other stuff; so, lung cancer is probably the only result from exposure. What an argument for intelligent design! Smell that fresh air!
What about the other stuff in the pools of water? Well, there's Strontium-90 and Technetium-99 and Cesium-137 and Neptunium-237 and Plutonium-238 and Plutonium-239 and Plutonium-241 and Americium-241 and Curium-242, which are very hazardous to life, in addition to the Uranium-233, which emits only low levels of radiation and isn't too bad for you.
Then there's "CRUD." CRUD refers to minute, solid, corrosion products that travel into the reactor core, become highly radioactive, and then flow out of the reactor into other systems in the plant, like the waste water plumbing. Major components of CRUD are iron, cobalt, chrome, and manganese; and it is a concentrated source of radiation.
And you're worried about Iran, Mr. Bush? You've got a lot of worrisome nuclear stuff here.
Posted by Bill at February 20, 2005 11:56 PMBill,
This is in response to your comment about your friend Liz! I would suggest you read the comment from Liz where she states that it was in no way the horse owners negliegence but the driver was going to fast!!!! If you knew Kathleen which you don't she does not speed. It is also the tasteless picture she chose to put on her website that is appalling to all who loved Kathleen. I appreciate you speaking up for liz. But you see Bill she already said enough when she said SHE HAS LIMITED SYMPATHY FOR THOSE WHOSE DRVING TOO FAST FOR THOSE CONDITIONS. So you see why her friends and family might be just alittle upset. So please i hope you pass this along to Liz. I am sure she has kids how would she feel if her only child was killed in an aciident that could have been prevented if the owner of the horses would have kept them in his yard! Now the rules have changed and there will be no more open range, but it took Kathleen dying for that to change. Doesn't seem fair does it???????