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Riley Paredes
Period. 4
11/21/14

Nuclear Sustainability
Nuclear power by definition is a form of energy produced by an atomic reaction, capable
of producing an alternative source of electrical power to that supplied by coal, gas, or oil. Nuclear power begins with uranium. The nuclear power is generated by the splitting of the uranium
atoms through fission. This fission releases energy which heats water to create steam. This steam
is used in huge turbines, which spin and produce electricity. The whole process for generating
nuclear power is fairly simple and extremely effective. Nuclear is the best choice for generating
power. There are three key reasons why we should use nuclear power. First, there are many solutions for handling spent nuclear waste. Second, it is safe to use. Finally, the positive environmental impacts greatly outweigh the bad; but still some people are against it.
When nuclear power is being used, it produces a very large amount of energy, but also
produces a sufficient amount of waste. This waste is highly radioactive and dangerous, so it must
be handled with care. The good part about this is that there are many ways to handle and store
the waste in a very safe way. For low-level nuclear waste from hospitals and labs, the waste is
put in containers and then put in landfills. There are many different ways to store high-level and
long lasting waste. The most popular of these methods is to bury the waste deep within the
ground. This is known as geological disposal.
The purpose of a geological disposal is to store the waste until it reaches non hazardous levels of
radiation. Another place that nuclear waste could be stored is deep under the ocean floor. This
method is known as sub seabed disposal and would act just like geological disposal except it
would be under water. There is also disposal of waste in layered salt strata. This method includes
putting the waste into a deep salt bed. The salt bed would provide the waste with a very low
amount of ground water flow and would eventually seal the waste due to the gradual movement
of the salt. Finally, some final ways you can store nuclear waste are in glaciers and in space; both
of which are very expensive and impractical as of now.
Nuclear power is thought to be a very dangerous type of power, but if used correctly is
completely safe. There have only been three reactor accidents. These are the only major accidents to have occurred in over 15,000 cumulative reactor-years of commercial nuclear power operation in 33 countries.
After the accident at Fukushima, the U.S. made a huge effort to ensure the safety of all power
plants. The U.S. created a technology called FLEX which addressed what had happened in Japan
and corrected it. Through FLEX the U.S. established new frame work to respond to Fukushima,
created a basis for action. FLEX analyzed all of the different problems that took place in Fukushima and fixed them. The main problem Fukushima faced was the loss of power and the loss of
its ability to cool its reactors, so FLEX provided an additional layer of backup power by stationing vital emergency equipment throughout the plant (Ex. generators, battery packs, pumps, air

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compressors and battery chargers) This new addition of safety features and supplies was brought
in so workers could quickly have what they needed in case of an emergency. Adrian Heymer the
Executive Director of Strategic Programs Nuclear Energy Institute said The FLEX approach is
designed to apply to a wide range of severe natural phenomena; including earthquakes and
floods. FLEX allows us to realize greater safety benefits in a shorter period of time.. In addition
to being protected and prepared for natural disaster, power plants are also protected from foreign
and domestic threats. They are constantly protected by security personal as well as video surveillance. The nuclear power industry is one of the few industries with a security program that is
regulated by the federal government. According to the independent U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission Nuclear power plants continue to be among the best-protected private sector facilities in the nation
Overall, nuclear power is very safe and has many features installed to insure its safety.
Nuclear power has many impacts on the environment. Some of these impacts are positive
and some are negative. To begin, nuclear power has more pros than cons. There are no air pollutants released such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, or other toxic
gases which are released by the burning of coal. This keeps the air clean and helps with global
warming. Nuclear power has the least amount of impact on the environment based off of the
amount of energy that is created by it. Although there is primarily only positive effects of nuclear
power, there are a few possibilities that could cause nuclear power to be very harmful to the environment. There are no completely safe ways to collect and store nuclear materials. Even
though nuclear energy is constantly protected and monitored there are no guarantees in the safety of the material. Generally the nuclear materials and radioactive waste are well maintained and
taken care of. Unfortunately, one mistake could cause many environmental problems. Fortunately, these events are rare and taken into account when waste is being transported to provide the
safest trip for the material. Overall, the positives of nuclear power outweigh the negatives of nuclear power in relation to the environment.
Nuclear power raises many questions in most peoples heads. This is primarily caused
because people do not understand how power plants work and are intimidated by this. They go
off of rumors and stories they have heard about explosions and failures which cause even more
fear. Secondly, people are concerned that the radioactive waste will leak out into the land and
oceans and contaminate the things we need for survival. Finally, people fear the possibility that a
power plant could be attacked and then turn into a nuclear bomb. These are all understandable
concerns, but I would like to put them to rest. If the public was able to get a better understanding
of how power plants worked and the safety procedures behind it, there would be less concern and
more understanding. There have only been three major accidents with power plants in history.
Secondly, there is no need to worry about radiation leakage. There are many safety nets put in
place to prevent any such thing from happening if there was ever to be a leak. Also power plants
are constantly improving and becoming safer and safer. For the last concern, there is no need to
worry, power plants are highly protected with layers and layers of protection as well as walls and
alarms along with guards and surveillance. There are also hidden underground defenses that
would be activated in case of an attack. For all of those who are still against nuclear power I
would like to ask how they would plan on getting all of the electricity that the United States
needs. The U.S. needs nuclear power to generate electricity and without it, there wouldn't be

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enough electricity to run throughout the U.S. In conclusion, nuclear power is an essential part of
our country and people should not worry about potential dangers.
To conclude, nuclear power is safe,clean and very useful. You can generate a lot of power with a small amount of fuel. It has very little downsides and is used by one in every five
households in the U.S. It also is responsible for 13 percent of the worlds power. There have
been safe and secure ways to store waste, it does more good than bad to the environment and is
safe to use. For those who are against nuclear power, I hope that they can read this paper and
learn that nuclear power is the right choice. I am for nuclear power with conviction because it
is by far the best choice over the rest of the energy sources.

Bibliography

"Fact Sheets." Nuclear Energy Institute. 1 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nei.org/masterdocument-folder/backgrounders/fact-sheets/nuclear-power-plant-security>.
I uses this website to help me get more information on the security around a power plant. I learned very
helpful information about how power plants are protected and monitored.

Quinlan, Heather. "Is Nuclear Power Safe?" HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 3 Feb. 2010. Web.
19 Nov. 2014. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/nuclear-power-safe.htm>.
I used this website to gather information about the safety of power plants and the power they hold. I also
got information about the positive effects of nuclear power on the environment.

"Radioactive Waste Management." World Nuclear Association. World Nuclear University, 1 Sept. 2014.
Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://world-nuclear.org/info/Nuclear-Fuel-Cycle/Nuclear-Wastes/RadioactiveWaste-Management/>.
This was one of the most helpful sites I used. I was able to get information on almost all parts of the paper. I especially used it for information on storing radioactive waste and I also used to learn more about
how power plants work; as well as information on how the fuel was mined.

Dept, Editoral. "Nuclear Energy: Safe Clean and Efficient - Leave Chernobyl in the Past." Nuclear Energy: Safe Clean and Efficient - Leave Chernobyl in the Past. CNBC, 27 Nov. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
<http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Nuclear-Energy-Safe-Clean-and-Efficient-LeaveChernobyl-in-the-Past.html>.

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I used this website to learn about power plants positive and negative effects on the environment. I also
used it to learn about how power plants have improved and changed.

"Industry Actions: Incorporating Lessons From Japan." Nuclear Energy Institute RSS. Nuclear Energy
Institute, 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://safetyfirst.nei.org/industry-actions/flex-the-industrystrategy-to-enhance-safety/>.
This was also a very helpful information packed website. It gave me a lot of information on the FLEX
system and helped me understand the new features they put in place after the Japan disaster.