Radioactive Waste in the United States

As one can assume radioactive waste is waste that contains radioactive material. This is often a by-product of of nuclear power generation, and of other nuclear technology. Radioactive waste is hazardous to the environment, and regulated by government agencies such as the EPA. The purpose of this blog is to present some of the facts and statistics of radioactive waste in the United States so one can form their own opinion on the topic.

• As of 2005 54,000 tons of radioactive waste was stored in the U.S.
• By 2015 that number is projected to be over 72,000 tons
• 32 states (Including Iowa) have agreed to house radioactive waste
• Over 20,000 have licenses to posses radioactive materials
• Exposure to radiation can change blood chemistry
• Exposure to radiation can cause nausea, and fatigue
• Long term exposure to radiation can cause cancer and other potentially fatal diseases

Sources:
http://www.uvm.edu/~vlrs/Energy/NuclearWaste.pdf
http://www.nrc.gov/waste.html
http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/On-Site-Storage-of-Nuclear-Waste
 http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1148410/yuccamtn_waste_locations.jpg (image)
http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2011/ph241/madres1/
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Radiation-and-Health/Nuclear-Radiation-and-Health-Effects/
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/health_effects.html