Control of Pollution from the Generation of Nuclear Power

Since the early days of the Manhattan District, there has been concern over potential pollution from the manufacture of atomic weapons and the generation of nuclear power. With time it has become obvious that the nuclear power plants themselves are not important sources of radioactive wastes, although they can be responsible for thermal pollution, as are conventional fossil fuel burning plants. The serious problems are associated with the relatively few chemical plants in which the partially spent nuclear fuels must be reprocessed to save their "unburned" fuel. As the result of an unprecedented program of research and development carried out by the Atomic Energy Commission, methods have been devised and tested for turning the high-level liquid radioactive wastes into inert solids which will be buried in salt mines, and for disposing of the medium-level wastes by incorporation in asphalt or by hydraulic fracturing. The very low-level wastes, decontaminated to drinking water standards, can be safely discharged to the environment, or preferably, disposed of into deep wells.