In America’s rush to build the #nuclear arsenal that won the Cold War, safety was sacrificed for speed.

#Uranium mills that helped fuel the weapons also dumped #radioactive and toxic waste into rivers. Thousands of sheep turned blue & died after foraging on tainted land. #Cancer wards across the West swelled with sick uranium workers.

The government bankrolled the industry but didn’t have a plan for the toxic byproducts of this nuclear assembly line.

https://www.propublica.org/article/uranium-mills-pollution-cleanup-us?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

The Cold War Legacy Lurking in U.S. Groundwater

For the first time, ProPublica has cataloged cleanup efforts at the 50-plus sites where uranium was processed to fuel the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Even after regulators say cleanup is complete, polluted water and sickness are often left behind.

ProPublica

@ProPublica

Yeah. Nuclear waste. When the duration of the problem is longer then your tenure in office; the problem should be swept under the carpet.

@Mizmar @ProPublica

Now do coal. Coal burning actually produces more radioactive waste than nuclear power for the same amount of energy. Plus coal has all the rest of the pollution commonly associated with it.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste/

Coal Ash Is More Radioactive Than Nuclear Waste

By burning away all the pesky carbon and other impurities, coal power plants produce heaps of radiation

Scientific American

@VividConfusion
I'm prepared to slag off coal. But I don't like whataboutery as it risks one distorting facts and talking nonsense.

@ProPublica

@Mizmar @ProPublica

Fair enough.

@VividConfusion

The article says: "As a general clarification, ounce for ounce, coal ash released from a power plant delivers more radiation than nuclear waste -->shielded via water or dry cask storage<--."
Indeed, if coal produced just as much radiation as nuclear, the flesh of millions of miners would be rotting on theirs bones.

You could more correctly, say "nuclear power produces no more radioactive pollution than coal, if maintained correctly for 1000s of years".

@ProPublica

@Mizmar @ProPublica

Nawh. Your conclusion is incorrect for numerous reasons, not the least of which is the source of radiation from burning coal.

But it's late here and I'm sick, so I'm not going to get into nuclear health physics .

Enjoy.

@Mizmar @ProPublica

Meh. Mostly sleeping, trying to get liquids in, and distracting myself from how icky I feel in-between. Thanks for asking, though.