Nuclear power-plants, nuclear waste, and nuclear wastelands do not sound appealing to anyone on this earth, especially to people that might get nuclear plants and storage right next door.
President Barack Obama stood on a fence when the subject of nuclear energy arose during an episode of “Meet the Press.” Obama proclaimed that he would find safer ways to produce and store nuclear power during his campaign.
Yet when it came down to winning over Nevada, the issue of storing nuclear waste in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, Obama swayed away from storing waste.
“There are still significant questions about whether nuclear waste can be stored safely in [Yucca Mountain],” Obama wrote to the Las Vegas newspaper stated Newsweek.
There are currently 104 commercial nuclear power plants operating in the United States today. None are said to have had any major leaks of radioactive waste.
“[There] are more than 100 reactors storing waste… in the worst of all possible places,” said Rochelle Becker of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility.
“In California, it’s stored next to earthquake faults. In the rest of the country, you find that most waste is sitting very close to water supplies,” said Becker.
“It’s not safe. If it’s safe I don’t mind,” said Jackie Capaldi, an 18-year-old nursing major from Moorpark College.
There are reasons why the president is hesitant to fully support new placements of radio-active waste in Nevada, as well as the construction of more nuclear power plants. On March 28, 1979, a power plant in Pennsylvania known as the Three Mile Island had a meltdown, the whole event was documented by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Cancer rates increased in moderate amounts when scientists studied the ten-mile radius of Three Mile Island, three years after the accident, in 1982, and the following year.
In 1959 a partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor core occurred in the Santa Susana Test Field of Rocketdyne’s headquarters located in-between Simi Valley and Canoga Park.
Some scientists have said that the accident at Rocketdyne may have leaked out as much radioactive waste as the infamous Three Mile Island meltdown. Boeing confirmed in 2002 that large quantities of toxic chemicals named perchlorate left on their test field. Simi Valley’s water has been contaminated by the chemicals, which may be from run-off of the waste filled test field.
Children and pregnant women are most affected by perchlorate. Effects of perchlorate are directed towards hormone levels, growth, organ development and thyroid cancer.
Consequently citizens of Simi Valley have had these symptoms from what might be the radioactive run-off in the water system.
“In my opinion with the research I’ve done with living within half a mile from Rocketdyne, is that back in the 50’s they had a meltdown, which leaked into the water table,” said Troy Shear, a 19-year-old Moorpark student, who aspires to be a rocket scientist.
“I’m totally down with nuclear-power, but we […] have to take the right precautions as soon as possible; not waiting 50 years to talk about it now and get things done,” said Shear.
The effects of man attempting to control nuclear power in Ventura County’s own backyard has proven to be destructive, therefore who would want a nuclear wasteland in their backyard?
