2014 FRQ Nuclear Energy

1. Radioactive waste is the nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity. Two types of radioactive waste are high-level waste in the form of fuel rods and low-level waste in the form of contaminated materials used the maintenance of nuclear power plants. High-level waste can remain a threat to human healthy for up to 10 or more "half-lives", so they must be stored until they are no longer dangerous. Low-level waste is also considered to not be safe, and cannot be incinerated or shot into space as it could potentially create large amounts of radioactivity in the oceans or atmosphere. Therefore, it is also stored in a storage site far from human habitation, although it is not as big of a concern as high-level radioactive waste. An example of a specific isotope that may be present in high-level waste is cesium-137, and is generated when nuclear power reactors use uranium fuel and nuclear fission occurs.
2. Three characteristics of an ideal deep underground storage site for high-level radioactive waste are not allowing waste to leach into ground water/escape into the environment, being far from human civilization, and being secure against possible terrorist attacks.
3. Two other options that have been suggested for the long-term management of radioactive waste are near-surface disposal and deep geological disposal. Near-surface disposal has been implemented in many countries, including the United States. Facilities that use this will be affected by long-term climate, and can usually only be used for 30 years. Deep geological disposal is used in countries with a lot of high-level radioactive waste. No obligation to actively maintain the facility are passed onto future generations.
4. One sublethal adverse effect ionizing radiation can have on human healthy is damage to tissues and/or organs. Depending on the level of exposure, it can potentially the functioning of tissues and/or organs. This damage happens when radiation comes into contact with oxygen, which causes certain molecules to form in the body and potentially damage or break strands of DNA. Cells may die.