The Big Lie About Nuclear Waste

After over 30 years in the nuclear (government) industry, I would say we never met an engineering challenge we couldn't solve, but had a very poor record of overcoming political challenges.

Pretty crazy that boiling water is probably the most important thing in human history.

I knew this 40 years ago. But I could never and still don't understand why it was demonised.

It seems like every elementary school student has considered this concept- if nuclear waste is so dangerous, then why isn’t it still being used for energy output, only in greater quantities of waste matter..?

FULL DISCLOSURE: My undergrad degree is in Nuclear Engineering, I am a retired Naval Officer (submarines, nuclear weapons) and a retired Radiation Health Physicist, who worked for 25 years with the Washington Office of Radiation Protection. I admit to having opinions on this topic. First, this was very well done. I believe that it captured the general situation, though there are a couple of points that I think you and your viewers might find interesting: 1. When fuel is reprocessed, not only the U235, but also the plutonium is usable as fissile material in new few. The plutonium was the excuse used to shut down the U.S. reprocessing efforts, but it really isn't very good for making nuclear weapons with. Basically, if you want "weapons grade" plutonium, you want to "cook" the fuel for a short time; days or weeks, depending on things. When fuel is in the reactor for years, the plutonium will have too much of the wrong isotopes. So, when you get down to it, our reprocessing program was shut down because of several lies. 2. With radioactive material, the half-life and how radioactive it is per number of atoms, or by weight, are linked. The shorter the half-life, the more radioactive it is. Fresh nuclear fuel, that hasn't been in a reactor, isn't radioactive enough to need special handling (though it is handled carefully, because it is REALLY expensive, and you wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork if you dent it). Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) is VERY radioactive, but the radioactivity start dropping as soon as the reactor is turned off. After about 10-30 years it is not hot enough to damage the fuel rods. After about 100 years it isn't very radioactive, anymore. After about 300 it is about as radioactive as when it went into the reactor. This is because the most radioactive fission fragments have short half-lives, and as those atoms decay, they aren't replaced, and eventually decay into stable atoms. So much of the problem with storing SNF is overstated, especially how long it needs to be stored. 3. Depending on a variety of factors, SNF can be used to make more energy without reprocessing it. The easiest way is with a Heavy Water Reactor, along the lines of the Canadian CANDU reactors. Overall, a good job.

This stuck with me when said by a former professor years ago (he was a nuclear engineer for the Navy before teaching): "If it's still radioactive it's still fuel!" We're sticking these fuel rods into storage not because they're waste but because we don't want to reprocess them to continue using them due to misguided fears of nuke proliferation.

I worked on the construction of THORP (Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plan). Originally, there were going to be two of them. Only one was constructed. The intention was to separate plutonium from spent fuel. Over 9,000 tonnes of spent fuel was reprocessed, from 9 different countries. Unfortunately, there was a time when the QA was falsified. Then, there was a leak, which was contained. The reasons behind THORPs perceived failures & THORPs closure, which include global & domestic political interference, make for a fascinating story. My comment here over simplified everything.

Fun fact, Jimmy Carter worked with nuclear reactors in the submarine program during his service in the navy. Apparently he was instrumental in averting a major accident at the Canadian research program in chalk river during an incident in the the early 50's. - He knew his Sh*t

This is VERY well made. Super impressed.

The summaries at the end of Huge If True always hit me in the feels. It's the kind of inspiration we need to move forward together instead of hiding alone in fear.

Follow the money. In this case, the lack of money in using nuclear waste.

Damn, they really hate EVERYTHING about recycling huh?

Okay. I live in Japan and surprisingly enough I went to a museum that explained this and I thought of how crazy that was.

Nuclear Engineer here, i'm so happy to see these debunking videos now. You did a great job at making sense of the nuclear waste that oil and gas lobbyists have pushed onto the global energy industry. We all got shafted out of clean energy for fossil fuels, but that's now quickly changing for the better

It's so crushing to hear those optimistic old transmissions and see where we are now. Those people had so many dreams. I find my self thinking of what could have been, if not for some key individuals. This video almost felt like the optimist takes of the old days. Loved it. Thank you very much.

The COSTS you mentioned at the 4:50 mark is NOT a minor concern. It is THE MAJOR DRIVER in a competitive global or domestic economy! That is the roadblock that needs to be addressed.

I've spent over 50 years working with various types of nuclear facilities, including spending a lot of time at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant during its construction, and I am very impressed at how you simplified complex topics so that anyone can understand them.

Hi Cleo, I’m a retired NASA Engineer, but before I joined the space industry with NASA (and Fairchild and Orbital Sciences and a load of other companies), I worked for a company called Vitro where we designed nuclear power plant safety systems. I designed the “Compensation Module” as well as other subsystems that were part of the Anticipatory Reactor Trip System (ARTS). I love what you did in this video and hope you keep it going. Take care, Tom KC3QAC

Thank you for your presentation. I found it very interesting. Please continue your research into nuclear recycling by exploring the construction project underway at the Svannah River Site in South Carolina. It was supposed to recycle U-239 (Plutonium) from excess nuclear warhead and creating what was termed as MOX fuel. The French designed and built a plant in France to process Russian excess nuclear warheads and we were obligated to do the same but never have. What is the status of the MOX project at Savannah River Site? That story could win several awards if you are able to crack the story.

The media and "actors" made people fearful, that's all you need to know