tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779136.post1855977919982394219..comments2023-10-10T13:31:24.972+00:00Comments on Waking Hereward: Quakes in the Lakes....Alfiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04135869751268396259noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779136.post-2311418763110094652009-05-01T06:55:00.000+00:002009-05-01T06:55:00.000+00:00Your point about the Cairngorms is well made. Les...Your point about the Cairngorms is well made. Less water as well - we wouldn't want groundwater contamination would we, and the Lake District of course is famous for ... water.<br /><br />But having said that, the scare stories about a lot of radioactive waste are just that - scare stories. Either something is very radioactive, in which case it isn't radioactive for long, (as it rapidly breaks down to smaller elements). Or it isn't very radioactive, in which case it has such a long half life that it lasts a long time - like the 100,000 years you mentioned.<br /><br />Neither of these are really particularly dangerous. One needs only short term containment, the other has such a long half-life it isn't particularly dangerous.<br /><br />The only ones to be concerned about are the ones in the middle, e.g. a half-life of a year or two. They are radioactive enough to be dangerous, and last longer than a few weeks. From memory, Strontium-90 is one such example, with the added disadvantage that it displaces calcium in peoples bones.<br /><br />But the quantities of such materials produced is absolutely <I>tiny</I>.<br /><br />And of course the final point is that a lot of this radioactive "waste" material can actually be re-used in certain kinds of reactors, meaning this so-called "waste" could actually be part of a strategic energy reserve for England. The Scots are fond of describing themselves as "energy-rich". Most of our Scottish Chancellor's half-billion investment in wind farms will go straight to Scotland - yet another hidden subsidy, this time using monies taken from raising the energy costs for heat and light on English people.<br /><br />Personally, I'd rather be England relying on nuclear energy than Scotland hoping the wind keeps blowing.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948105455433369982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779136.post-36842644479146235902009-04-29T09:39:00.000+00:002009-04-29T09:39:00.000+00:00It's no' oor nuclear waste, ye ken.It's no' oor nuclear waste, ye ken.William Gruffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02434757003701117714noreply@blogger.com