> And a plane crash would easily kill hundreds, far more than any nuclear waste release from such a site ever could even in the absolute worst of the worst cases.
I think you're lacking imagination here. The Asse II mine in Germany[1] is in danger of getting flooded, which could release large amounts of radioactive material into the groundwater.
> I think you're lacking imagination here. The Asse II mine in Germany[1] is in danger of getting flooded, which could release large amounts of radioactive material into the groundwater.
Wrong. It was a political decision by the GREEN party to make a lot of fuss and try to dig it up again for extra political points
Check this recommendation out by the actual experts of the radiation protection commission:
> Four of the five assessment fields (safety during the operating phase,
environmental effects in the event of an uncontrollable inflow of solution, feasibility and time
requirements) indicated that there was a clear benefit to retaining the radioactive waste in the
Asse II mine rather than retrieving it.
And only anti-nuclear NGOs with flawed estimates think it there would be enough radiactive material released to be of danger
> Both estimates assume, for example, that after an uncontrollable inflow of solution, the
radionuclides present in the waste will fully dissolve in the inflow water and then be squeezed
out into the hydrosphere and biosphere as a result of convergence and gas formation in the
mine. However, the estimates fail to take into account the solubility limits in the saline solution
and drinking water, both of which have a significant effect on the result, and also omit the
sorption effects that occur when passing through the overburden. They also fail to consider the
fact that only a very small proportion of the uranium and thorium is soluble; otherwise the
solubility limit of uranium and thorium would be exceeded in the saline solution.
...
> As a result, the SSK holds the view that an uncontrollable inflow of solution does
not represent a hazard to the public
The green party is just trying to try to get the country to stay in fear of nuclear energy, so their favorite policy (i.e. shutting down nuclear power plants) can stay.
I think you're lacking imagination here. The Asse II mine in Germany[1] is in danger of getting flooded, which could release large amounts of radioactive material into the groundwater.