How nuclear energy is different from other source of energy (fuel, hydro, wind, solar) that makes uranium hazardous than those, and what justify nuclear energy is relevant in the first place?
Sorry if the questions don’t really relate to each other. They’re just running wild in my mind. Sorry for the bad english – english is not my first language.
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Hydroelectric, wind, and solar produce no waste. Fossil fuels release waste that is dangerous, but not nearly as dangerous as nuclear waste. Nuclear waste is extremely radioactive.
Radioactive material releases dangerous radiation. The energy of radiation is often measured in electron volts (eV). A UV ray strong enough to give a sunburn has about 3 eV. A gamma ray from radioactive decay will have hundreds of thousands or millions of eV. Gamma rays can also penetrate material, so they get deeper inside of you, and they can’t be stopped by physical barriers. There are also other particles released during radioactive decay, and they all can burn you and give you cancer much more easily than intense sunlight.
Also, nothing can be done to nuclear waste to make it stop being radioactive other than just waiting. That can take tens or hundreds of thousands of years. We need to figure out how to store this waste, and how to prevent accidents and terrorist attacks from releasing it.
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