Botkin Environmental Science Earth as Living Planet 8th txtbk

Further Reading 367
KEY TERMS
breeder reactors 363
burner reactors 349
fission 348
fusion 348
high-level radioactive waste 361
low-level radioactive waste 360
meltdown 348
nuclear energy 348
nuclear fuel cycle 353
nuclear reactors 348
radioactive decay 350
radioisotope 350
transuranic waste 361
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. If exposure to radiation is a natural phenomenon, why
are we worried about it?
2. What is a radioisotope, and why is knowing its half-life
important?
3. What is the normal background radiation that people
receive? Why is it variable?
4. What are the possible relationships between exposure
to radiation and adverse health effects?
5. What processes in our environment may result in
radioactive substances reaching people?
6. Suppose it is recommended that high-level nuclear
waste be disposed of in the geologic environment of
the region in which you live. How would you go about
evaluating potential sites?
7. Are there good environmental reasons to develop and
build new nuclear power plants? Discuss both sides of
the issue.
FURTHER READING
Botkin, D.B., Powering the Future: A Scientist’s Guide to
Energy Independence (Indianapolis: Pearson FT Press, 2010).
Hore Lacy, Ian, Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century (New York:
Academic Press, 2006). A pro-nuclear power plant book.
World Nuclear Association, “Waste Management in the
Nuclear Fuel Cycle.” www.world nuclear.org/info/inf04.html.
A major international organization’s review of this problem.