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Nuclear Waste Decomissioning and the Environment

Nuclear waste being dropped off at a nuclear waste dump. This is one of the many ways in which nuclear waste can contamainate the environment. Source

This section concentrates on the environmental aspects of storing nuclear wastes until they are no longer a threat to the general public. This process can take thousands of years and can have quite an impact on the environment if not done properly. This section will first take a look at general effects of radioactive materials on human health and the physical environment. It will then take a closer look at the environmental impacts of storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, the most probable candidate for the long-term storage nuclear wastes. Finally this section will analyze the possiblity and magnitude of several accident scenarios occuring in or around the Yucca Mountain repository site. The four sub-sections describing the environmental impact of nuclear waste storage in the environment are as follows:

Human Health Effects of Radiation

The Effects of Radiation on the Physical Environment

The Effects of the Yucca Mountain Project on the Physical Environment

The Probability and Magnitude of Accidents at Yucca Mountain