Perspectives on the high level waste disposal problem
Bernard L. Cohen
University of Pittsburgh
INITIAL PERSPECTIVE
As an initial perspective, it is interesting to compare nuclear waste with the analogous waste from a single large coal-
burning power plant. The largest component of the coal burning waste is carbon dioxide gas, produced at a rate of
500 pounds every second, 15 tons every minute. It is not a particularly dangerous gas, but it is the principal
contributor to the "greenhouse effect" that is raising so much international concern and threatening the health of our
world economy.. Among the other wastes from coal burning, probably foremost is sulfur dioxide, the principal cause of
acid rain and perhaps the main source of air pollution's health effects, released at a rate of a ton every 5 minutes.
Then there are nitrogen oxides, the second leading cause of acid rain and perhaps also of air pollution. Nitrogen
oxides are best known as the principal pollutant from automobiles and are the reason why cars need expensive
pollution control equipment which requires them to use lead-free gasoline; a single large coal-burning plant emits as
much nitrogen oxide as 200,000 automobiles. The third major coal burning waste is particulates, including smoke,
another important culprit in the negative health effects of air pollution. Particulates are released at a rate of several
pounds per second. And next comes the ash, the solid material produced at a rate of 1,000 pounds per minute, which
is left behind to cause serious environmental problems and long-term damage to our health.����������� Coal-
burning plants also emit thousands of different organic compounds, many of which are known carcinogens. Each plant
releases enough of these compounds to cause two for three cancer deaths per year. And then there are heavy metals
like lead, cadmium, and many others that are known or suspected of causing cancer; plus a myriad of other health
impacts. Finally there is uranium, thorium, and radium, radioactive wastes released from coal burning that serve as a
source of radon gas. We will show that the impact of this radioactive radon gas from coal burning on the public's health
far exceeds the effects of all the radioactive waste released from nuclear plants.
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~blc/Perspectives_on_HLW.htm
Next
Bernard L. Cohen
University of Pittsburgh
INITIAL PERSPECTIVE
As an initial perspective, it is interesting to compare nuclear waste with the analogous waste from a single large coal-
burning power plant. The largest component of the coal burning waste is carbon dioxide gas, produced at a rate of
500 pounds every second, 15 tons every minute. It is not a particularly dangerous gas, but it is the principal
contributor to the "greenhouse effect" that is raising so much international concern and threatening the health of our
world economy.. Among the other wastes from coal burning, probably foremost is sulfur dioxide, the principal cause of
acid rain and perhaps the main source of air pollution's health effects, released at a rate of a ton every 5 minutes.
Then there are nitrogen oxides, the second leading cause of acid rain and perhaps also of air pollution. Nitrogen
oxides are best known as the principal pollutant from automobiles and are the reason why cars need expensive
pollution control equipment which requires them to use lead-free gasoline; a single large coal-burning plant emits as
much nitrogen oxide as 200,000 automobiles. The third major coal burning waste is particulates, including smoke,
another important culprit in the negative health effects of air pollution. Particulates are released at a rate of several
pounds per second. And next comes the ash, the solid material produced at a rate of 1,000 pounds per minute, which
is left behind to cause serious environmental problems and long-term damage to our health.����������� Coal-
burning plants also emit thousands of different organic compounds, many of which are known carcinogens. Each plant
releases enough of these compounds to cause two for three cancer deaths per year. And then there are heavy metals
like lead, cadmium, and many others that are known or suspected of causing cancer; plus a myriad of other health
impacts. Finally there is uranium, thorium, and radium, radioactive wastes released from coal burning that serve as a
source of radon gas. We will show that the impact of this radioactive radon gas from coal burning on the public's health
far exceeds the effects of all the radioactive waste released from nuclear plants.
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~blc/Perspectives_on_HLW.htm
Next
 | |  | |  | |  |
