Analysis & Opinions - Newsweek

Disposing of Nuclear Waste is a Challenge for Humanity

| May 15, 2017

"Last week, on May 9, a tunnel containing barrels of highly radioactive waste collapsed at the Nuclear Reservation in Hanford, Washington. Despite the reassuring reports that no workers were injured and no major evacuations were needed, the accident reminds us of an immense problem. This site, a legacy of the Cold War, hosts waste from several decades of military plutonium production during and after World War II. The facilities are old, which raises the question: was this an isolated accident or something that could happen again? A massive clean-up process has been going on since 1980s at Hanford and it is expected to continue until 2160, with the projected cost of approximately 100 billion dollars...."

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Taebi, Behnam.“Disposing of Nuclear Waste is a Challenge for Humanity .” Newsweek, May 15, 2017.

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