SHT
The spent fuel rods of a nuclear power station are first put
in a spent fuel storage pool in an ancilliary building for decay
and heat
dissipation (for over half a year). Then they are
packed in lead cannisters and transported to the post-treatment
plant where they undergo intensive treatment.
NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS ARE A CLEAN SOURCE OF ENERGY
The radioactive matter produced by a nuclear power station
is not generally allowed to leak out into the environment. During
its operation the discharge of waste is rigorously controlled. At
present, the small amount of gases and radioactive matter
discharged by a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power station in a foreign
country results in the people living nearby receiving an annual
dose of radiation of under 0.02 mSv. The mere discharge of the
radioactive elements radium and thorium through the chimneys of a
coal-fired power station of similar capacity results in the
people living nearby receiving an annual dose of radiation
amounting to 0.05 mSv, about three times as much as the radiation
from this nuclear power
accident, the radioactive
station. Even in the event of an
pollution from the nuclear power
station is very slight, and would not greatly affect the people
living nearby. On the other hand, coal-fired power stations each
year discharge tens of thousands of tonnes of harmful gases such
as sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide as well as hundreds of kilos
of carcinogens such as mercury, cadmium and 3,4 benzopyrene.
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