#radioactive-waste

#radioactive-waste

In 2024, nuclear reactors generated a total of 2,667 terawatt-hour (TWh) of electricity - more than any other year in history. Nuclear energy now provides about nine per cent of the world's electricity from about 440 power reactors worldwide, World Nuclear Association says. The organization calls nuclear power a 'reliable, long-term electricity supply', although it does controversially produce radioactive waste products.

More than 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste have lain scattered across the Atlantic Ocean for nearly 50 years, a relic of an era when dumping nuclear materials at sea was considered safe. Between 1946 and 1990, European countries, including France and the UK, dumped barrels filled with radioactive materials, sealed in asphalt and concrete. Today, these barrels rest thousands of feet below the surface, in trenches about 13,000 feet deep and hundreds of miles offshore from France.

The contamination traces back to the Manhattan Project, the US-led World War II research and development effort that produced the first atomic bombs. Much of the radioactive material was improperly stored, leaving it exposed to wind and rain for decades. Over time, the waste spread into nearby Coldwater Creek, and a 2025 study found that individuals who lived near the creek during childhood face an increased risk of cancer from prolonged exposure to the contaminated water.

Timothy Mousseau raised concerns about the potential for large areas of unmonitored contamination, indicating the possibility of both new and old radioactive sources surfacing.