YuccaMountain Nuclear Waste Dump

Websites of Interest

  • Wikipedia is often a good starting place but you must remember that there can be mistakes in their facts because the editors may not be as knowledgeable about the topic as scientific editors who review and edit scientific books and articles. We say that Wikipedia articles are not peer reviewed.
  • For a broad introduction to nuclear waste, check out this Wikipedia article
  • Here is a National Geographic article on a nuclear dump site in Idaho.
  • Here is an interesting story about the fate of a proposed nuclear waste dump in Australia
  • Or how about the Finns?
  • Living on Earth did a report in January 08 on the status of the YuccaMountain project
  • Web Elements is a very useful web site. You can find out information about isotopes here.

Guiding Questions

  1. What is the YuccaMountain dump site?
  2. What radioactive elements would be put in the dump? Which type(s) of radioactivity would each element emit? How long would they remain radioactive?
  3. What are the physical dangers that this type of radiation poses?
  4. Write at least three nuclear chemistry equations for the nuclear waste that will be deposited at YuccaMountain?
  5. Why was a national nuclear waste dump originally proposed?
  6. How are nuclear waste dump sites chosen?
  7. Why was the site – YuccaMountain chosen? Why not Newton? i.e. discuss the proximity to population, the appropriateness of the geology at the site.
  8. How will the nuclear waste be stored at YuccaMountain?
  9. What are the pros and cons of this method of storage: .i.e. why will the storage method work, what could go wrong and what would be the consequences?
  10. List the radioactive materials that will be stored at the waste dump. List the radioisotopes that will be stored, indicate the type of radiation that they will release and include each ones half life.
  11. Who will benefit from this project?
  12. Who will lose if this project moves forward?
  13. What is the history of this project? i.e. when was it first proposed? Where does it stand today? What has happened between the beginning of the project and now?
  14. Do other countries around the world have nuclear waste dumps? If yes, how do their dumps compare with the YuccaMountain dump? If no, what do they do with their nuclear waste?
  15. What will the storage facility look like? (a diagram or sketch would work here)
  16. Will Newton, and/or the State of Massachusetts send any radioactive materials to the dump? If so, what types will they be?
  17. Is there any danger that radioactivity can leak out of the dump site? If yes, what affect would the leaked radioactivity have on the surroundings?
  18. What is the position of our representatives and senators on Yucca Flats Nuclear Dump?
  19. Which of these positions do you agree with?
  20. Are there other nuclear waste sites in the United States? Are they safer than YuccaMountain would be?
  21. Include a periodic table and indicate the position of at least five of the radioisotopes on it.

Extra Vocabulary and Terms to Know Before You Use Them and include in the final version of your project.

  • Spent nuclear fuel rods
  • Radioactive waste
  • United States Department of Energy (DoE)
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
  • Reprocessing
  • Indigenous land
  • Half life
  • Radioactive decay
  • Radioactive isotope
  • Low level waste