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Subduction zones and radwaste...



Hmmmmmm.....

      This is from JPreisig@aol.com     .

    Greetings Radsafers.

    I find any attempt to place (reactor???) radwaste in subduction zones
offensive.  I surely don't believe it is the way to go.  There are
considerable
problems (and errors) in the information being presented in this RADSAFE
string.  Plate tectonic spreading rates in the Pacific Ocean (i.e. the East
Pacific Ridge) are on the order of 6 to 10 cm. per year.  If subduction zone
rates are the same as the spreading rates, then at the subduction zones
crust is going into the subduction zones at 6-10 cm. per year.

    Usually, along the major Pacific subduction zones, there are many
volcanoes.
At some level, material going down into the subduction zone has some chance
of coming back to the Earth's surface via the volcanoes.  I'm not saying
that this will happen quickly.  The volcanoes are associated with the
subduction
process.  So, if you dispose of reactor radwaste in subduction zones, there is
a chance it will re-appear at the Earth's surface in lava, ash, etc.

    I think re-processing of the rad waste is the way to go.  Separate the
Uranium &
long-lived alpha emitters from the short-lived (300 years = 10 half lives;
Cesium, Strontium, etc.) photon emitters.  Clearly re-processing is dose
intensive.  If we can do the re-processing remotely & robotically, so be it.
Clearly, Pu proliferation could be a problem.  But how about sending any
produced Pu (from reprocessing) to Pantex in Texas regularly, where all the
rest
of our Pu is????

     I guess we could store the waste for 300 years at Yucca Mountain, until
the heavy gamma radionuclides have decayed away significantly.  The remaining
long-lived alpha emitters shouldn't pose too much of a problem.  I know
I'm simplifying this all way too much.

    As for Yucca Mountain, I know this is a difficult process for all
involved.
I was involved with the New Jersey LLRW Siting Process (as a groundwater
modeller), and to this day have wonderment about some of the things that
occurred then and there.  Fortunately, New Jersey did not spend as much
money on this siting process as other states.  I remember some of the local
geologists telling me about the North Carolina siting process.  At the NC
siting meetings, I'm told men in black hoods showed up for the discussions.
After the local siting board members had made their presentations, the men
in the black hoods (who may have been armed) responded: "We've heard
your (dose) numbers.  Now we have some numbers for you: 22 caliber,
357 magnum, and on and on...."  I don't think the men in the black hoods
were kidding.  I don't think that Nevadans are any less well armed.  I think
such
processes must go forward slowly.  And I don't think South Carolina will
continue taking LLRW ad infinatum.

    Well, clearly I've said too much already, as usual.  Have a good
night!!!!

    
                                               Joe Preisig, Ph.D.