Capt Artoro Li
New member
[FONT=tahoma, arial]
On Monday August 6, 1945 the U.S. Boraber Enola Gay flew over the
Japanese city of Hiroshima. SeconRAB later a metallic projectile fell
towarRAB its target. In a blinding flash the world felt the power of a new
age, the nuclear age.
The study of radiation that would eventually lead to these uranium
weapons began in 1798. It was in this year that the german chemist Martin
Heinrich Klaproth identified the element uranium. Uranium was not isolated
in a metallic state until 1841. The radioactive properties of uranium were
first discovered in 1896 when a French physicist Antoine Henti Becquerel
studied the properties of uranyl sulfate.
Although science found uranium in 1789, the study of uranium dates
back much further. As early as the sixteenth century it was recognized that
men who worked in pitcrabroadlende( a chemical containing iron ore) mines were
subject to fatal pulmonary diseases. An early study of the Schneeberg mines
of Germany conducted between 1869 and 1877 found that 650 miners working in
the mines had a life expectancy of 20 years after entering the mines.
It was two german doctors, Harting and Hesse, who brought this to
the public. The doctors found that 75 percent of the miner deaths were due
to lung cancer. But with their scientific knowledge the doctors could only
assume that the deaths were caused by the inhalation of arsenic. Later
studies between 1900 and 1940 found that the deaths were caused by
radiation in the mines.
The radiation the miners were exposed to would later be identified
as uranium. Uranium is a natural occurring element, it has a atomic count
of 92. Uranium is easily identified by its properties. Uranium melts at
about 1132°C, boils at about 3818°C, and has a specific gravity of 19.05 at
25°C. Uranium has three crystalline forms, of which the one that forms at
about 770°C is malleable and ductile. Uranium is soluble in hydrochloric
aciRAB and nitric aciRAB, but not in alkalies.
Uranium never occurs naturally in the free state but is found as an
oxide or complex salt in minerals such as pitcrabroadlende and carnotite. It has
an average concentration in the earths crust of about 2 parts per million,
and ranks 48th among the natural occurring elements on earth. Pure uranium
consists of more than 99 percent of the isotope uranium-238, less than 1
percent of the isotope uranium-235, and a trace of uranium 234.
Artificially produced isotopes of uranium-235, 237, and 239 have also been
produced.
Since uranium is rare, a long and difficult process must be used to
mine and process the uranium. First the uranium must be mined in a
underground or surface uranium ore mine. Next the uranium must be milled.
During this process chemicals are used to convert and purify the uranium
ore into semirefined oxide( U3O8) known as yellow cake. The second stage in
this conversion process is to change the U3O8 into UF6. The next step for
the uranium is enrichment. In enrichment, the UF6( which is a gas at room
temperature) is forced through about 1700 barriers in which the uranium
concentration is increased from the natural 0.7 percent to a level of 3 to
4 percent. The final stage in the preparation of uranium is fuel
fabrication. In this process UF6 is converted to uranium dioxide( UO2).
In 1938, the potential of refined uranium was found when Otto Hahn
and Fritz Strassman borabarded a uranium metal with a stream of neutrons. At
the conclusion of their experiment, they found a trace of barium in the
uranium. Later they found that the release of energy and the presence of
barium were caused by the splitting of uranium atoms. It was at that moment
that the world was first introduced to man controlled nuclear power.
After the successful splitting of an atom, many nations set to work
to find a way to produce and extract energy from the reaction. The first
generation of electric power from nuclear power was achieved at a reactor
testing center in Arco, Idaho. This early generating plant utilized a form
of nuclear energy call fission. In this process uranium-235's nuclei is
split open when struck by an sub-atomic particle called a neutron. This
breaking open releases two or three neutrons which then split open still
another uranium-235 nuclei. This reaction releases vast amounts of energy.
This early study of uraniums possibilities also lead to negative
programs such as weapons. The most famous of these programs was a secret
program launched by the U.S. Government in 1942. The project was code named
the Manhattan Project, and was headed by Robert Oppenhiemer. This project
was created for the sole mission of creating a nuclear weapon using
radioactive materials. The scientist involved in the project decided to use
uranium and plutonium for the ammo of the nuclear weapon. The first atomic
weapon was detonated on July 16, 1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico. The borabs
designed during the project would later be used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Japan, thus ending World War II.
Uranium was used in weapons for many years after World War II.
After World War II the U.S., Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and
China conducted many more nuclear weapons test and experiments. These
countries also used uranium for many other military purposes. Such examples
of this are the launch of the first nuclear powered submarine, the Nautilus,
in 1956 by the U.S. Navy and the launch of the worlRAB first nuclear powered
surface vehicle, the icebreaker Lenin, by the Soviet Union in 1957. This
use of nuclear weapons continued until president Eisenhower placed a
moratorium on U.S. Nuclear weapons test in 1958. Many other countries also
decided to stop their nuclear tests during the Geneva conferences in 1955,
1958, and 1964.
Nuclear power was also seen as a gift after World War II. It was
after World War II that many nations saw uranium power as having a peaceful
purpose. The U.S. was the first nation to start programs for uranium
powered nuclear plants. The U.S.'s enthusiasm in this area was fully shown
when president Dwight Eisenhower delivered his ³Atoms for Peace² speech
before the United Nations in 1953. In this speech, the president expressed
his opinion that one day almost all of the power in the world would be
created by nuclear power.
The first step in this dream was achieved in 1957 when the world's
first power generating nuclear plant began operation at Shippingport,
Pennsylvania. This power plant used uranium to perform fission. The heat
from the fission heated water, the steam from the water then turned
turbines, thus creating electricity. The opening of this plant was a great
success, with this success France, the Soviet Union, and the United States
made plans to build many more reactors within their borders.
At this time all the information about nuclear power was not known
by the public. People knew that uranium was a dangerous but they did not
know the extent of its dangers. Due to little information available and
clever propaganda, people at this time knew only of the advantages of
nuclear power:
1. It is a less expensive energy source than fossil fuels.
Electricity produced from uranium is more than 6 times
cheaper than electricity produced by coal or oil.
2. Nuclear energy is far cleaner source than the fossil fuels.
Though its radiation is dangerous if not contained, it does
not dirty the air with pollutants.
3. Nuclear energy works far more efficiently than the fossil fuels
because of its ability to generate massive power from small
amounts os uranium. One gram of uranium creates as much
power as 3 ton of coal Because so little of uranium is needed,
the supply will last longer than the fossil fuels.
The majority of the public was for or did not care about uranium nuclear
power at this time, but two incidents would bring the full dangers of
uranium to the public with a shock.
The first of these incidents happened in 1979 at the nuclear power
plant at Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This accident was
caused by many things that happened during the time of the accident and
before the accident. The first error was a maintenance error and a
defective valve which led to a loss of coolant. The reactor itself was shut
down by its safety system when the accident began, and the emergency core
cooling system began operating as required a short time into the accident.
Then, as a result of human error, the emergency cooling system was shut off,
causing severe core damage and the release of fission products from the
reactor vessel. Although only a small amount of radioactive gas escaped,
the financial damage to the utility was very large, $1 billion or more. An
official investigation after the accident blamed operational error and
inadequate control room design. This accident lead to far more strict
building codes of nuclear reactors.
The second of these incidents was perhaps the most famous and
easily the world's worst reactor accident, it happened in a small town
called Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union. On April 26, 1986, one of the
four nuclear reactors at the plant went out of control. This malfunction
was caused by a string of events. An improperly supervised experiment
conducted with the water cooling system turned off led to the uncontrolled
reaction, which in turn caused a steam explosion. The reactor's protective
covering was blown off, and approximately 100 million curies or
radionuclides( a form of radiation from uranium) was released into the air.
Some of the radiation spread across the Soviet Union and into europe. The
Soviet Union stated that 31 persons died as a result of the accident, but
there is believed to be many more deaths caused by the radiation. More than
100,000 soviet citizens had to be evacuated from the area surrounding
Chernobyl. The other three reactors at Chernobyl were returned to operation
a year and a half later. It was later seen that the accident could have
been reduced if the reactor had a containment building.
It was these two incidents that finally drove the public to seek
the truth about uranium. What must be first clarified about uranium is that
it does give off radiation, but not all radiation is bad. The average
person is exposed to 160.81 milirems of radiation per year. This amount is
not dangerous because it is spread out over a amount of time, people are
harmed by radiation when they are exposed to large amounts of it at one
time.
Uranium's radiation is the first of its many problems. If a person
is exposed to natural uranium it can cause many health defects such as
radiation sickness and cancer. When people are exposed to large amounts or
a reaction of uranium at one time, many more severe health problems can
occur such as, burning and death. The threat of radiation seepin «f•
ْْْْْْ! بh€d is also a ؤIہt danger. The radiation present in the soil
and water makes the material unfit for animal and human use, and the
radiation may linger for many years.
Another problem of uranium is the possibility of it being used for
weapons. In todays modern world any one who has access to uranium could
build a atomic borab. Although there is strict regulations on the transport
and guarding of uranium, it is still possible that a small amount might
just go missing.
Perhaps the greatest uranium problem that we humans face in our
nuclear age is the waste created by nuclear plants and weapons. As uranium
deteriorate it becomes less valuable and eventually it must be gotten rid
of, this is the problem we face. Over the years scientist have thought of
many ways to deal with the waste, the most numerous ideas are:
1. Fuel reprocessing: In this process the spent fuel rod are
reenriched and used again. The problems with this is that
reprocessed fuel roRAB are not as efficient and a by product
of this process is plutonium which can be used in weapons.
2. Land disposal: In this theory spent uranium is inserted into
metal canisters and lowered deep in to the ground. This is the
most efficient method of disposal to date and is currently
being adopted by the U.S. Government. There are numerous
problems found with this method. The first is that a site
must be found that has little soil movement and no volcanic
movement. The second problem is accumulation of uranium and
the possible leakage of uranium in to the soil and groundwater.
The last problem is that social and political conditions
might not guarantee safety and security for the under ground
uranium.
3. Incineration: A large percentage of low-level uranium is already
incinerated. This process reduces the bulk of the waste by
nearly 50 percent. This process also has a few problems
that must be addressed. The first problem is that not all
nuclear waste can be incinerated. Another problem is the
incinerated ashes must still be stored because they still
contain radiation. The last and probably greatest problem
of this method is the control of the radioactive gases created
by incineration.
4. Sub-Seabed disposal: In this theory, spent uranium is buried
under the seabed. An advantage of this over land disposal
is that seabeRAB far from the coast are much more stable
than land. This method also has a higher rate of security since
the waste would be buried beyond the reach of many people.
The problems associated with this are; location, method of
putting waste into seabed, and a way to safeguard the
materials from accidents.
5. Nuclear depositories: This theory states that nuclear wastes
should be stored inside of highly secured storage
facilities. This theory makes logical sense but is unpopular
with the public. People are not willing to pay higher taxes
for these facilities and people are not comfortable with one
of these facilities being near them. The U.S. Government has
already started construction of one of these facilities in
the Yucca mountains of Nevada.
All of these methoRAB are viable methoRAB but we must meet there problems
before we can use them.
Due to the over whelming facts against nuclear power, the U.S. Has
practically halted production of nuclear reactors but continues to run
these reactors, but as we slow down our nuclear program many other
countries are increasing theirs at a astonishing rate. By 1989, 112 nuclear
plants were present in the U.S., in addition there were 316 plants in 40
countries outside the U.S.. The U.S. still has uranium ore mines in
Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Wyoming, with foreign mines found
in Canada, the Democratic republic of the Congo, and parts of Eurasia. The
United States and the former Soviet Union have also had peaceful
negotiations to reduce the nuraber of uranium weapons in their arsenals. But
even though the U.S. has made drastic cutbacks in the amount of uranium
used, we still use quite a bit, to be more precise the U.S. used 3417
metric tons of the 29,100 metric tons of uranium produced world wide.
As mankind approaches the new millennium we are faced with many
problems, but maybe no problem is as big as the pandoras box we call the
nuclear age. At the center of all the nuclear activity is the simple
element, uranium, who has been present since the beginning of time. We as
humans must decide the fate of not only the nuclear program but the fate of
our specie. If we are to leave this simple element and the problems it has
brought unchecked, the doom of our society due to weapons or our simple
radiation pollution, could be a reality we are not yet ready to face. On
the other hand, if we work together to find the full potential of uranium,
we could achieve things that we could not even dream of. The choice me make
must be the right decision because with that strong decision, we not only
affect us, we do not only affect our specie, we may effect the fate of our
world for the never ending expansion we call eternity.
WORKS CITED
Dolan, Edward. Nuclear Waste. United States: Dolan and Scariano, 1990.
Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. CDrom. Microsoft, 1998.
Enger, Eldon and Smith, Bradley. Environmental Science. San Francisco:
McGraw-Hill,1998.
Miller, Willard. Environmental HazarRAB: Radioactive Materials and Wastes.
Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1990.
[/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 2713 [/FONT]
On Monday August 6, 1945 the U.S. Boraber Enola Gay flew over the
Japanese city of Hiroshima. SeconRAB later a metallic projectile fell
towarRAB its target. In a blinding flash the world felt the power of a new
age, the nuclear age.
The study of radiation that would eventually lead to these uranium
weapons began in 1798. It was in this year that the german chemist Martin
Heinrich Klaproth identified the element uranium. Uranium was not isolated
in a metallic state until 1841. The radioactive properties of uranium were
first discovered in 1896 when a French physicist Antoine Henti Becquerel
studied the properties of uranyl sulfate.
Although science found uranium in 1789, the study of uranium dates
back much further. As early as the sixteenth century it was recognized that
men who worked in pitcrabroadlende( a chemical containing iron ore) mines were
subject to fatal pulmonary diseases. An early study of the Schneeberg mines
of Germany conducted between 1869 and 1877 found that 650 miners working in
the mines had a life expectancy of 20 years after entering the mines.
It was two german doctors, Harting and Hesse, who brought this to
the public. The doctors found that 75 percent of the miner deaths were due
to lung cancer. But with their scientific knowledge the doctors could only
assume that the deaths were caused by the inhalation of arsenic. Later
studies between 1900 and 1940 found that the deaths were caused by
radiation in the mines.
The radiation the miners were exposed to would later be identified
as uranium. Uranium is a natural occurring element, it has a atomic count
of 92. Uranium is easily identified by its properties. Uranium melts at
about 1132°C, boils at about 3818°C, and has a specific gravity of 19.05 at
25°C. Uranium has three crystalline forms, of which the one that forms at
about 770°C is malleable and ductile. Uranium is soluble in hydrochloric
aciRAB and nitric aciRAB, but not in alkalies.
Uranium never occurs naturally in the free state but is found as an
oxide or complex salt in minerals such as pitcrabroadlende and carnotite. It has
an average concentration in the earths crust of about 2 parts per million,
and ranks 48th among the natural occurring elements on earth. Pure uranium
consists of more than 99 percent of the isotope uranium-238, less than 1
percent of the isotope uranium-235, and a trace of uranium 234.
Artificially produced isotopes of uranium-235, 237, and 239 have also been
produced.
Since uranium is rare, a long and difficult process must be used to
mine and process the uranium. First the uranium must be mined in a
underground or surface uranium ore mine. Next the uranium must be milled.
During this process chemicals are used to convert and purify the uranium
ore into semirefined oxide( U3O8) known as yellow cake. The second stage in
this conversion process is to change the U3O8 into UF6. The next step for
the uranium is enrichment. In enrichment, the UF6( which is a gas at room
temperature) is forced through about 1700 barriers in which the uranium
concentration is increased from the natural 0.7 percent to a level of 3 to
4 percent. The final stage in the preparation of uranium is fuel
fabrication. In this process UF6 is converted to uranium dioxide( UO2).
In 1938, the potential of refined uranium was found when Otto Hahn
and Fritz Strassman borabarded a uranium metal with a stream of neutrons. At
the conclusion of their experiment, they found a trace of barium in the
uranium. Later they found that the release of energy and the presence of
barium were caused by the splitting of uranium atoms. It was at that moment
that the world was first introduced to man controlled nuclear power.
After the successful splitting of an atom, many nations set to work
to find a way to produce and extract energy from the reaction. The first
generation of electric power from nuclear power was achieved at a reactor
testing center in Arco, Idaho. This early generating plant utilized a form
of nuclear energy call fission. In this process uranium-235's nuclei is
split open when struck by an sub-atomic particle called a neutron. This
breaking open releases two or three neutrons which then split open still
another uranium-235 nuclei. This reaction releases vast amounts of energy.
This early study of uraniums possibilities also lead to negative
programs such as weapons. The most famous of these programs was a secret
program launched by the U.S. Government in 1942. The project was code named
the Manhattan Project, and was headed by Robert Oppenhiemer. This project
was created for the sole mission of creating a nuclear weapon using
radioactive materials. The scientist involved in the project decided to use
uranium and plutonium for the ammo of the nuclear weapon. The first atomic
weapon was detonated on July 16, 1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico. The borabs
designed during the project would later be used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Japan, thus ending World War II.
Uranium was used in weapons for many years after World War II.
After World War II the U.S., Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and
China conducted many more nuclear weapons test and experiments. These
countries also used uranium for many other military purposes. Such examples
of this are the launch of the first nuclear powered submarine, the Nautilus,
in 1956 by the U.S. Navy and the launch of the worlRAB first nuclear powered
surface vehicle, the icebreaker Lenin, by the Soviet Union in 1957. This
use of nuclear weapons continued until president Eisenhower placed a
moratorium on U.S. Nuclear weapons test in 1958. Many other countries also
decided to stop their nuclear tests during the Geneva conferences in 1955,
1958, and 1964.
Nuclear power was also seen as a gift after World War II. It was
after World War II that many nations saw uranium power as having a peaceful
purpose. The U.S. was the first nation to start programs for uranium
powered nuclear plants. The U.S.'s enthusiasm in this area was fully shown
when president Dwight Eisenhower delivered his ³Atoms for Peace² speech
before the United Nations in 1953. In this speech, the president expressed
his opinion that one day almost all of the power in the world would be
created by nuclear power.
The first step in this dream was achieved in 1957 when the world's
first power generating nuclear plant began operation at Shippingport,
Pennsylvania. This power plant used uranium to perform fission. The heat
from the fission heated water, the steam from the water then turned
turbines, thus creating electricity. The opening of this plant was a great
success, with this success France, the Soviet Union, and the United States
made plans to build many more reactors within their borders.
At this time all the information about nuclear power was not known
by the public. People knew that uranium was a dangerous but they did not
know the extent of its dangers. Due to little information available and
clever propaganda, people at this time knew only of the advantages of
nuclear power:
1. It is a less expensive energy source than fossil fuels.
Electricity produced from uranium is more than 6 times
cheaper than electricity produced by coal or oil.
2. Nuclear energy is far cleaner source than the fossil fuels.
Though its radiation is dangerous if not contained, it does
not dirty the air with pollutants.
3. Nuclear energy works far more efficiently than the fossil fuels
because of its ability to generate massive power from small
amounts os uranium. One gram of uranium creates as much
power as 3 ton of coal Because so little of uranium is needed,
the supply will last longer than the fossil fuels.
The majority of the public was for or did not care about uranium nuclear
power at this time, but two incidents would bring the full dangers of
uranium to the public with a shock.
The first of these incidents happened in 1979 at the nuclear power
plant at Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This accident was
caused by many things that happened during the time of the accident and
before the accident. The first error was a maintenance error and a
defective valve which led to a loss of coolant. The reactor itself was shut
down by its safety system when the accident began, and the emergency core
cooling system began operating as required a short time into the accident.
Then, as a result of human error, the emergency cooling system was shut off,
causing severe core damage and the release of fission products from the
reactor vessel. Although only a small amount of radioactive gas escaped,
the financial damage to the utility was very large, $1 billion or more. An
official investigation after the accident blamed operational error and
inadequate control room design. This accident lead to far more strict
building codes of nuclear reactors.
The second of these incidents was perhaps the most famous and
easily the world's worst reactor accident, it happened in a small town
called Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union. On April 26, 1986, one of the
four nuclear reactors at the plant went out of control. This malfunction
was caused by a string of events. An improperly supervised experiment
conducted with the water cooling system turned off led to the uncontrolled
reaction, which in turn caused a steam explosion. The reactor's protective
covering was blown off, and approximately 100 million curies or
radionuclides( a form of radiation from uranium) was released into the air.
Some of the radiation spread across the Soviet Union and into europe. The
Soviet Union stated that 31 persons died as a result of the accident, but
there is believed to be many more deaths caused by the radiation. More than
100,000 soviet citizens had to be evacuated from the area surrounding
Chernobyl. The other three reactors at Chernobyl were returned to operation
a year and a half later. It was later seen that the accident could have
been reduced if the reactor had a containment building.
It was these two incidents that finally drove the public to seek
the truth about uranium. What must be first clarified about uranium is that
it does give off radiation, but not all radiation is bad. The average
person is exposed to 160.81 milirems of radiation per year. This amount is
not dangerous because it is spread out over a amount of time, people are
harmed by radiation when they are exposed to large amounts of it at one
time.
Uranium's radiation is the first of its many problems. If a person
is exposed to natural uranium it can cause many health defects such as
radiation sickness and cancer. When people are exposed to large amounts or
a reaction of uranium at one time, many more severe health problems can
occur such as, burning and death. The threat of radiation seepin «f•
ْْْْْْ! بh€d is also a ؤIہt danger. The radiation present in the soil
and water makes the material unfit for animal and human use, and the
radiation may linger for many years.
Another problem of uranium is the possibility of it being used for
weapons. In todays modern world any one who has access to uranium could
build a atomic borab. Although there is strict regulations on the transport
and guarding of uranium, it is still possible that a small amount might
just go missing.
Perhaps the greatest uranium problem that we humans face in our
nuclear age is the waste created by nuclear plants and weapons. As uranium
deteriorate it becomes less valuable and eventually it must be gotten rid
of, this is the problem we face. Over the years scientist have thought of
many ways to deal with the waste, the most numerous ideas are:
1. Fuel reprocessing: In this process the spent fuel rod are
reenriched and used again. The problems with this is that
reprocessed fuel roRAB are not as efficient and a by product
of this process is plutonium which can be used in weapons.
2. Land disposal: In this theory spent uranium is inserted into
metal canisters and lowered deep in to the ground. This is the
most efficient method of disposal to date and is currently
being adopted by the U.S. Government. There are numerous
problems found with this method. The first is that a site
must be found that has little soil movement and no volcanic
movement. The second problem is accumulation of uranium and
the possible leakage of uranium in to the soil and groundwater.
The last problem is that social and political conditions
might not guarantee safety and security for the under ground
uranium.
3. Incineration: A large percentage of low-level uranium is already
incinerated. This process reduces the bulk of the waste by
nearly 50 percent. This process also has a few problems
that must be addressed. The first problem is that not all
nuclear waste can be incinerated. Another problem is the
incinerated ashes must still be stored because they still
contain radiation. The last and probably greatest problem
of this method is the control of the radioactive gases created
by incineration.
4. Sub-Seabed disposal: In this theory, spent uranium is buried
under the seabed. An advantage of this over land disposal
is that seabeRAB far from the coast are much more stable
than land. This method also has a higher rate of security since
the waste would be buried beyond the reach of many people.
The problems associated with this are; location, method of
putting waste into seabed, and a way to safeguard the
materials from accidents.
5. Nuclear depositories: This theory states that nuclear wastes
should be stored inside of highly secured storage
facilities. This theory makes logical sense but is unpopular
with the public. People are not willing to pay higher taxes
for these facilities and people are not comfortable with one
of these facilities being near them. The U.S. Government has
already started construction of one of these facilities in
the Yucca mountains of Nevada.
All of these methoRAB are viable methoRAB but we must meet there problems
before we can use them.
Due to the over whelming facts against nuclear power, the U.S. Has
practically halted production of nuclear reactors but continues to run
these reactors, but as we slow down our nuclear program many other
countries are increasing theirs at a astonishing rate. By 1989, 112 nuclear
plants were present in the U.S., in addition there were 316 plants in 40
countries outside the U.S.. The U.S. still has uranium ore mines in
Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Wyoming, with foreign mines found
in Canada, the Democratic republic of the Congo, and parts of Eurasia. The
United States and the former Soviet Union have also had peaceful
negotiations to reduce the nuraber of uranium weapons in their arsenals. But
even though the U.S. has made drastic cutbacks in the amount of uranium
used, we still use quite a bit, to be more precise the U.S. used 3417
metric tons of the 29,100 metric tons of uranium produced world wide.
As mankind approaches the new millennium we are faced with many
problems, but maybe no problem is as big as the pandoras box we call the
nuclear age. At the center of all the nuclear activity is the simple
element, uranium, who has been present since the beginning of time. We as
humans must decide the fate of not only the nuclear program but the fate of
our specie. If we are to leave this simple element and the problems it has
brought unchecked, the doom of our society due to weapons or our simple
radiation pollution, could be a reality we are not yet ready to face. On
the other hand, if we work together to find the full potential of uranium,
we could achieve things that we could not even dream of. The choice me make
must be the right decision because with that strong decision, we not only
affect us, we do not only affect our specie, we may effect the fate of our
world for the never ending expansion we call eternity.
WORKS CITED
Dolan, Edward. Nuclear Waste. United States: Dolan and Scariano, 1990.
Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. CDrom. Microsoft, 1998.
Enger, Eldon and Smith, Bradley. Environmental Science. San Francisco:
McGraw-Hill,1998.
Miller, Willard. Environmental HazarRAB: Radioactive Materials and Wastes.
Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1990.
[/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 2713 [/FONT]