Nuclear scientist Interview Question:

Do you know how are we going to store the waste?

Submitted by: Muhammad

Spent nuclear fuel rods have a half-life of nearly 30,000 years; depleted uranium will remain toxic for an estimate 4.5 million years. After decades of scientific research at locations like Yucca Mountain in Nevada, no one has figured out how and where to store the radioactive waste created by nuclear power generation. Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently admitted that he has no firm plans for the radioactive wastes created by the proposed new reactors, or by the 104 currently licensed. And according to CBS News, waste is currently leaking from a quarter of US nuclear power sites. In the last three years alone, cancer-causing tritium was found in the water and soil around nuclear sites in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont. How can we move forward with more nuclear power plants when we do not have the capability - or even a plan - to safely store existing toxic waste?
Submitted by: Muhammad