atomic energy
Invisible Poisons
»Experts estimate that
© Tim Wright/CORBIS
By Lisa Rainwater, Riverkeeper
Fuel Rod
A spent nuclear fuel rod in a cooling pond at the Surry Nuclear Power Station in Virginia. Once the rods are used up, they are hot and radioactive. Water-filled pools are used to cool and store the fuel rods that glow bright blue with Cherenkov radiation.
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Waterkeeper Magazine Fall 2006
a quarter of the nation’s 65 reactor sites have radioactive leaks. In many instances they go undetected for long periods of time. Local elected officials and the public are kept in the dark even longer. Regardless of your view on the merits or shortcomings of nuclear power with respect to national energy policy, the immediate threat of radioactive leaks from existing nuclear power plants is an ongoing, increasing problem that cannot be ignored. Radioactive waste created as a byproduct of generating electricity at nuclear power plants remains deadly for up to 300,000 years. There are 50,000 tons of this waste in spent fuel pools and dry casks at commercial nuclear power plants across the United States. The federal government has yet to find a long-term way to deal with this radioactive waste. In the last decade, numerous U.S. nuclear power plants have reported radioactive leaks into groundwater, public waterways and the drinking water of local communities. More than half of these leaks have occurred since 2005. These are invisible poisons that cannot be detected by sight, smell or taste. They are also some of the most dangerous toxins known to mankind. Yet there is no law or regulation requiring state or local notification of “unplanned” spills or leaks at nuclear power plants. Local officials and the public must rely on the openness and integrity of nuclear power plant operators and government officials to be kept informed of such leaks. The response from government and the corporate world continues to be consistent and routine: “There is no threat to public health and safety.” Such “no threat” statements offer little reassurance to the people living next to the Braidwood nuclear plant located 60 miles south of Chicago. They’ve been on bottled water since March 2006 due to a six million gallon leak of radioactive tritium into their groundwater over the course of a decade. The health impacts and psychological effects of radioactive waste leaking from a nuclear power plant can be daunting to nearby communities. It can also be a call to action. Just ask the people living near the Braidwood nuclear facility. Welcome To Godley A hazy, Midwestern summer sky hung low with rain, as I drove out of Chicago on a humid July day www.waterkeeper.org
