fear that the hot temperatures would spark a nuclear disaster
Like … the buried radwaste would for some reason start to fission or undergo fusion, all because of higher-than-normal surface temperatures? Or do they think the waste would for some reason start to leak out (more)?
There may be waste storage problems but it sounds like they’ve been watching too much “Space 1999”.
I took it as a disaster due to nuclear waste breaching containment due to high temperatures, they bring up temperatures of up to 200 degrees fahrenheit. The use of spark is likely because half the article is about the debate on ‘what is fire’ and nomenclature for these sites and its on the brain or whatever. But I could be wrong on that.
200F in the municipal waste landfill, caused by the usual breakdown of materials there. But it doesn’t sound like the radwaste, even at the one landfill mentioned, is mixed in with the muni-waste, so why would anyone think it’s at the same temps (or more) than the latter landfills, or that the temps would matter at all? Radwaste is going to decay and give off heat through that process, not by chemical decomposition (AFAIK). I get the feeling the author put in that radwaste sentence just to generate alarm.
Too bad. I’d welcome our planet being blown out of orbit due to too much radwaste being concentrated in one place and going critical. I’d also welcome this happening in Louisiana, or Texas, or Alabama, or OK, or Idaho, or …
Like … the buried radwaste would for some reason start to fission or undergo fusion, all because of higher-than-normal surface temperatures? Or do they think the waste would for some reason start to leak out (more)?
There may be waste storage problems but it sounds like they’ve been watching too much “Space 1999”.
I took it as a disaster due to nuclear waste breaching containment due to high temperatures, they bring up temperatures of up to 200 degrees fahrenheit. The use of spark is likely because half the article is about the debate on ‘what is fire’ and nomenclature for these sites and its on the brain or whatever. But I could be wrong on that.
200F in the municipal waste landfill, caused by the usual breakdown of materials there. But it doesn’t sound like the radwaste, even at the one landfill mentioned, is mixed in with the muni-waste, so why would anyone think it’s at the same temps (or more) than the latter landfills, or that the temps would matter at all? Radwaste is going to decay and give off heat through that process, not by chemical decomposition (AFAIK). I get the feeling the author put in that radwaste sentence just to generate alarm.
Too bad. I’d welcome our planet being blown out of orbit due to too much radwaste being concentrated in one place and going critical. I’d also welcome this happening in Louisiana, or Texas, or Alabama, or OK, or Idaho, or …