Re: Subduction zones and radwaste...

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

It's not the "burping" of subduction zones that is the main concern -- it's 

getting the waste to, and into, the desired deep-sea location.  The risk of 

an accident en-route, in which the casks (because more than one would be 

carried by ship) dropped into an unintended location in the Pacific, is 

considerably greater than the risk of "burping" (which is probably 

negligible).  Unless such a drop occurred in fairly shallow water, retrieval 

could be impossible, and then corrosion and dispersion would eventually put 

radinuclides from the waste into the food chain.  No, the casks would not be 

expected to rupture or leak, but eventually the seals, and then the casks, 

would corrode.


I must also reiterate that a sea voyage of several days with a number of 

casks on board, that are periodically inspected, does expose the crew.


These problems can be mitigated (though solving the first would be 

extraordinarily difficult) but then, so can the land disposal problems.


Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com