Who controls low-level radioactive wastes
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the utility industry have committed major national resources to the development of nuclear energy. Supporters of this policy view nuclear power as a source of cheap, clean, and inexhaustible energy, and assert that scientists have reduced the risk of a serious nuclear accident to a tolerable level. Critics argue that the AEC has exaggerated the benefits of nuclear power and understated the risks without informing the public of the dangers involved. The major concern of both proponents and critics has been high-level radioactive wastes which remain intensely radioactive for thousands of years. Low-level wastes, in contrast, have a relatively short life span, and can be dispersed into the air and water with less danger. Yet, the introduction of low-level wastes into the environment also poses potentially serious problems. Proponents of nuclear power have decided that some exposure to low-level radioactive wastes is warranted for the development of nuclear energy, even though scientists do not know the long-term effects of low-level radiation exposure and have not established the threshold for harmful radiation. The lack of evidence on the effects of low-level dosages renders this decision a value judgment. Therefore, it becomes important who has the responsibility for formulating the standards for exposure to the public health and environment.
- OSTI ID:
- 6871720
- Journal Information:
- Environ. Aff.; (United States), Journal Name: Environ. Aff.; (United States) Vol. 6:2; ISSN EVAFB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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LEGAL ASPECTS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
POWER
POWER PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WASTES