Some people have pointed to nuclear energy as a partial solution to overpopulation. The reason not to go nuclear, is because of the nuclear garbage problem . But the environmental group Public Citizen reports the 12 reactors that are now closed had an average life span of just 9.6 years. When the fuel was loaded into the reactor's core in 1989, it was barely radioactive, and could easily be handled by workers wearing gloves.
Radioactivity results from the process of making power.
When the chain reaction is induced, the uranium atoms are split to give off energy, and the atoms that result are internally unstable, emitting subatomic particles and energy waves called radiation. With low-level waste, it takes up to 100 years for 97 percent of the radiation to decay to safe levels. The remaining three percent remains harmful for 300 to 500 years or more. On this we agree. Tearing down Fort St. Vrain will leave up to 140,000 cubic feet of the stuff.