Radioactive Waste: The Story of Chelyabinsk

By Almira Dukovic

Biology 2B

The Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power

Pro1. The type of power it produces is

enough to sustain this planet.

2. France and Japan have about 80% of their electrical power come from nuclear power.

3. Uranium, which is used in nuclear power is one of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust.

4. Fossil fuels are far more pollutive.

– No greenhouse gases are produced.

– Cheapest form of energy

Con1. The refining process of uranium

hurts the environment because toxic substances like sulfur are produced.

2. Radioactive elements that are produced like uranium 238 and 235 have half lives in the hundred of millions. (Substances are considered safe after 10 half lives.)

3. The byproduct of nuclear energy is steam and radioactive waste.

What is Radioactive Waste?

• Radioactive wastes can be many objects in a variety of materials that give off some amount of radioactivity (radiation).

• Radioactive waste is a by product of nuclear power.

There are 3 types of Radioactive Wastes:

• Low-level Wastes: Usually include paper, tools, and clothing and comes from places like hospitals and laboratories. These wastes are not dangerous to handle.

• Intermediate-level Wastes: These objects have higher amounts of radioactivity and may require special shielding. Buried deep underground.

• High-level Wastes: Usually comprises of spent fuel. Highly radioactive and must be placed inside stainless steel canisters and deposited deep underground.

Exposure to Radioactive Wastes

• Everybody is exposed to some form of naturally occurring radioactive elements from the cosmos, the air we breathe, and the earth we live on.

• With moderate level exposure, the effects are often delayed for years and results in cancer.

• High level exposure can cause the death of cells and organ functions. Death can range from a few seconds to several days.

Chelyabinsk

• A region in Russia that is 1,000 miles east of Moscow in the Ural Mountains.

• Home to about 3.6 million people.

• Suffered from 3 different instances of radioactive waste.

• Interesting example of what radioactive waste can cause.

The First Incident…

• From 1948-1951 contaminated waste from Chelyabinsk’s 13 military reactors was dumped in the Techa River and Lake Karachay.

• The Russians refused to dispose the radioactive waste properly.

• 24 of the villages living on the banks of the river were not warned of the possible radiation.

The Second Incident…

• In 1957, a nuclear waste storage tank exploded.

• A 5 mile wide radioactive cloud sprawled across this region.

• 270,000 people were infected and only 10,000 people were evacuated about 18 months later.

The fence around Mayak

The Third Incident…

• In 1967, after a 2 year drought, Lake Karachay’s waters disappeared.

• Now the radioactive sediments of the lake were exposed to open air.

• Now, forty years later, the lake’s sediments still contain 100 times the amount of radiation released at Chernobyl.

The Devastating Effects…

• Mark Hertsgaard, an independent journalist and author, wrote in a 1992 article that radiation from the Techa River is equal to the amount released by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.

• The government refused to warn the villagers living in the area not to fish or drink the contaminated water.

• The average life expectancy for these people is at about 55 years.

• Over half of the adults at child bearing age are sterile.• Many types of cancers are prevalent in this area.

More Devastating Effects…

• The area where the nuclear storage tank exploded in 1957 is still unlivable for 20,000 years due to the vast amounts of plutonium that is there.

• “A person standing on the lake shore near the area where wastes are discharged from the plant would receive about 600 roentgens of radiation, a lethal dose, in an hour. The lake is now being filled with hollow concrete blocks, rock, and soil to reduce the dispersion of radioactivity” (http://www.logtv.com/films/chelyabinsk/nuclear.htm)

• People in the area still fish and pick berries and mushrooms along Techa River’s banks further infecting the people.

How I Would Study This Problem

• Take blood samples of the people that are currently living in Chelyabinsk.

• Water samples and samples from the animals living in the Techa River to study the amounts of radiation.

• Soil samples from all the villages.

For Further Reading…

• www.american.edu/TED/ural.htm

• www.logtv.com/films/chelyabinsk/nuclear.htm

• www.uic.com.au/wast.htm