The reason for this newsletter is simple, I learned a lot and I want to share this with you. I learned that Energy Solutions is not allowed to take fuel rods or other radioactive material that we so commonly associate with hazardous material. There are technically four types of radioactive materials. Class A, Class B, Class C, and Highly Radioactive material. Class A is the weakest form of radioactive material, and Highly Radioactive material is the highest form. Class B and Class C materials include radioactive sensors you find in smoke detectors and material you might find in a wristwatch. Class B and Class C materials are used consistently in household products. So what type of radioactive materials might you find at Energy Solutions? Class A only. They are prohibited from taking smoke detectors or watches or any other material that contains Class B and Class C radiation. Honestly, I expected to see big barrels of glowing green sludge that you often see Homer Simpson messing with. I was completely surprised at the types of material they actually take there.
So where does Class B and Class C radioactive materials go? They are all required to go to a processing facility in Washington D.C. So none of those materials are supposed to be processed by anybody else. Most of those materials end up in land fills, even though they are not supposed to.
They also showed us how the waste is unable to penetrate our water supply, because of the type of ground Utah has. They showed us how safe they make the radioactive materials, and how we don't need to worry about them destroying Utah. They told us that this site was specifically selected because it is not susceptible to acts of God like earthquakes and hurricanes.
Another thing we learned was that they have set aside money to fund constant monitoring of the materials they place there for 100 years. Most of the material will lose its radioactive qualities after 25 years and become no less dangerous than soil in our backyard.
After taking the tour, I became less worried about what Energy Solutions is doing out there. I am not worried about Utah becoming a "dumping ground." I encourage Utah lawmakers to allow other states and countries to pay Energy Solutions to take their waste too, as this will bring in more money for Utah.
The above picture seems misplaced, but it is very important to help you understand the waste processing plant. This type of plate is coated in a particular paint that gives off radiation. It is considered a Class B or Class C type radioactive material. Energy Solutions had a Geiger counter and placed it up against a similar plate. The Geiger counter went crazy. So if we can eat off this plate, why is it so dangerous? Why can't Energy Solutions just take this type of material? I believe this is because so many of us are misinformed about what hazardous waste facilities really do. I want to again encourage you to take a free tour of Energy Solutions.
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