Question

some people have suggested that decommissioned nuclear power plants be entombed in concrete rather than being dismantled. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of entombment relative to dismantling. Consider the exposure of workers and the public to radiation as well as the cost of this proposal

Answer 1

Dismantling and entombment are the two ways for decommissioning Nuclear power plants. In entombment process cement, concrete etc is used as radioactive resistant material to reduce the effect of radioactive materials.

Advantages:

1. Entombment requires less number of workers and avoids them from being in significant contact with radioactive waste.

2. It is a cost effective method as compared to dismantling.

3. There is less interaction of public with the site and volume of radioactive waste is also less.

4. By discarding the nuclear waste in the same area it permits the engineers to recreate the site for public and environment safety whereas dismantling restricts the use of site.

Disadvantages:

1. It becomes essential to monitor the environment for safety purposes.

2. There are chances of leakage of radioactive materials if there are any cracks or crevices.

3. Assessment of the safety and envionmental outcomes of the entombment process requires approval from the government and public acceptance.

4. It may sometimes require additional costs if long active radonuclide are present requiring extra effort for their evacuation.

Exposure of workers and public to radiation increases the health risk. There is a constant risk of damage to cells and tissues when exposed to radiations. It may aso cause diseases like cancer, skin infections, gene-mutation, impair the functioning of tissues and organs, radiation burns etc. It depends on the intensity of radiation exposure, for low levels, the impact is insignificant and sometimes non- detectable.

Entombment generally requires lower costs than other techniques as cost of dismantling and decontamination is not involved. The components of structure are not removed. However, monitoring of the site for safety purposes and if long active radio active material is present will require additional costs.