A．Nuclear Energy and Public SafetyB．Uranium Ore and Its……
TEXT F
One of the major problems
of nuclear energy is the inability of scientists to discover a safe way to
dispose of the radioactive wastes which occur throughout the nuclear process.
Many of these wastes remain dangerously active for tens of thousands of years,
while others have a life span closer to a quarter of a million years. Various
methods have been used to date, but all have revealed weaknesses, forcing
scientists to continue their search.
The nuclear process
involves several stages, with the danger of radioactivity constantly present.
Fuel for nuclear reactors comes from uranium ore, which, when mined,
spontaneously produces radioactive substances as by-products. This
characteristic of uranium, ore went undetected for a long time, resulting in the
deaths, due to cancer, of hundreds of uranium miners.
The United
States attempted to bury much of its radioactive waste material in containers
made of steel covered in concrete and capable of holding a million gallons. For
a long time it was believed that the nuclear waste problem had been solved,
until some of these tanks leaked, allowing the radioactive wastes to seep into
the environment. Canada presently stores its nuclear waste in underwater tanks,
with the long-term effects largely unknown.
However, plans are
under consideration for above-ground storage of spent fuel from re- actors.
These plans include the building of three vast concrete containers, which would
be two stories high and approximately the length and width of two football
fields. Other suggestions include enclosing the waste in glass blocks and
storing them in underground caverns, or placing hot containers in the Antarctic
region, where they would melt the ice, thereby sinking down about a mile. This
idea has since been abandoned because of the possible adverse effect on the ice
sheets.
The best title for the passage might be______.
A．Nuclear Energy and Public Safety
B．Uranium Ore and Its Characteristic
C．Scientific Approach to Dispose of Nuclear Wastes
D．Nuclear Process and Its Wastes
