atomic power station produce very trivial emission when in cognitive process , but when they are decommissioned , the mishandling of nuclear wastefulness can have live on consequences for human wellness and the surround . Usually , waste is kept in irregular facilities overground , but Finland has resolve to forget all of its nuclear waste .
A midget island off the west coast of Finland , name Olkiluoto , has been selected to become the burial site for the Scandinavian country ’s radioactive material . A series of tunnels are being excavated more than 420 meters ( 1,380 fundament ) below ground , and it will cost the commonwealth $ 4 billion .
It will accommodate 5,000 tonnes ( 5,500 tons ) of material from 2020 until the 2120s , when it will be sealed once and for all . This project took many twelvemonth to begin , as scientists looked for the most suitable bedrock for the facility . Currently , it stretch for about 5 kilometers ( 3 miles ) , and it will eventually become a labyrinth of 42 kilometers ( 26 miles ) Charles Frederick Worth of tunnels .
" This has expect all sorts of Modern know - how , " said Ismo Aaltonen , chief geologist at atomic waste manager Posiva , which stick the green light to develop the site last year , agree to theAssociated France Press .
The played out radioactive textile will be placed in iron casts that will then be seal into thick copper color canisters and wall by mud ( to keep movements and pee from seeping in ) . The canisters will then be lour into the tunnels . Although it ’s thought the textile will be secure in a few hundred year , scientists are playing it safe by aiming for 100,000 age of repositing .
Eventually , the tunnels will be sealed with ferro - concrete plugs to guarantee that the internet site will delay completely inaccessible . Posiva is seek to consider what is the upright approach to warn people in the hereafter from stab in the area .
" It is still being discussed if the place should be distinguish with warning signs , " Aaltonen added . " There are examples like in Egypt , where a curse was to flow upon the person who passed a certain threshold and of course , the great unwashed just entered there . "
Olkiluoto already domiciliate two nuclear reactors with a third one under construction , and local residents welcomed the plans for a burial priming .
" in person , I conceive that when [ the dissipation ] is point deep down there with care and expertise , it is better than how it is now around the world – placed wherever , " said local vegetable farmer Timo Rauvola .
[ H / T : AFP ]
