Advocacy Group Reports Sharp Decrease in Radioactivity from Nuclear Waste after 40 Years
‘Within 500 years, you could hold a spent fuel bundle in your hands without risk to your health,’ said Canadians for Nuclear Energy President Chris Keefer.
The president of a Canadian nuclear advocacy group has addressed concerns about nuclear waste, explaining that the radioactivity mostly disappears after 40 years.
Australia is currently contemplating the adoption of nuclear power after the federal opposition expressed interest in pursuing the policy if they come into power next year.
Since the announcement in June, there has been ongoing debate surrounding the viability of nuclear power, including discussions on costs, time requirements, workforce training, and waste disposal.
Australia prohibited civilian nuclear power back in 1998.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has stated multiple times that the waste produced by the preferred small modular reactor (SMR) is minimal, equivalent to the size of a can of coke per year.
How Nuclear Waste Is Managed in Canada
During a recent inquiry hearing on nuclear power, Chris Keefer, president of Canadians for Nuclear Energy, highlighted Canada’s commercial operation of nuclear power plants since the 1960s, with a fleet of five stations housing 22 reactors across three provinces.
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Keefer, located in Ontario where around 60 percent of the power grid is nuclear-powered, explained the simple process used for disposing of used fuel rods.
“Our fuel is taken out of the reactor, cooled in a deep, seismically robust pool, much like a swimming pool,” he informed the Select Committee on Nuclear Energy.
“After about five or six years of cooling, it is sealed in concrete and steel canisters, which are then stored in a large warehouse.
“These canisters are durable and can last for centuries.”
The president disclosed that he had visited these facilities with a dosimeter, an instrument for measuring ionizing radiation exposure. He found that the radiation levels were lower compared to the exposure one would get from a plane trip from Canada to Australia.
Furthermore, Keefer stated that nuclear waste undergoes rapid radioactive decay within a few decades.
“Within 40 years, 99.9 percent of the initial radioactivity is gone … and within 500 years, the risk to your health from holding a spent fuel bundle is minimal,” he stated.
Expert Speaks on Earthquake Risks
The Committee also questioned Heather Hoff, co-founder of the California-based advocacy group Mothers of Nuclear, about how nuclear power plants in the United States handle earthquakes.
Hoff, who worked at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California, emphasized the robustness of the facility in dealing with seismic events.
She elaborated on how Diablo Canyon was built with the anticipation of potential earthquakes.
“You may be aware that when Diablo Canyon was initially designed, we knew of an earthquake fault off the coast, and later discovered another fault closer to the plant.
“While this may sound alarming, thorough analysis showed that even with a new fault, the plant had sufficient margins.
“The plant was designed to such high standards that even with increased shaking, the essential systems would remain unharmed.”
