A11 WorkPage
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//This is work page for A11, and here are the one we have to do:
Step 1:
- Try to find some relevant information (anywhere on the web) related to YOUR problem or topic.
Step 2: visit the website “OpenEI”
Step 3: analyze and discuss
- Can you locate any relevant information about YOUR problem in OpenEI? Describe what you find there.
- What it would take for you to contribute information (which you may have found in step 1) to this site and what would motivate you to do so!
1. Describe the energy-related problem or topic your group selected.
2. Describe any Web resources you found about that problem or topic.
3. Describe any related OpenEI resources you found.
4. Discuss what it would take for you to contribute information (such as what you may have found in step 1) to the OpenEI site and what would motivate you to do so.
Myung
1. As Leon suggested, our topic is about radioactive waste disposal.
Many of natural resources that we use in now days are limited, and sooner or later many of them will be depleted. Using solar or wind energy is almost infinite, but it doesn't quite satisfy the amount of energy we use in these days. Nuclear power plant is one of the best option that may satisfy the amount of current energy usage, but its waste which is radioactive waste is always a threat. Many people know how dangerous radioactive waste could be. So once they hear that power plant is going to be built in their town, they protest in many cases. If they actually get the information of radioactive waste disposal, it may help weakening the protests in some sense.
2. The website that I looked into was about radioactive waste management.(
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf04.html) According to the Principles of Radioactive Waste Management, "Radioactive waste shall be managed in such a way as to secure an acceptable level of protection for human health" which indirectly says the nuclear power plant should be somewhat safe if they keep the regulation.
3. What I found from OpenGL was about Nuclear Regulatory commission. (http://en.openei.org/wiki/Nuclear_Regulatory_Commission_(NRC)) Due to the riskiness of radioactive waste, it explains why there is a serious regulation.
4. I totally understand why people protest if they hear that nuclear powerplant will be built somewhere near their town. And it will be proceded no matter how you think. But if they know there is a serious regulation about the radioactive waste disposal, they would feel little better. It is true that it is still risky, but it feels better once you know that you are not left behind beyond that risk.
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Andrew-
1.) As technology progresses, we as humans tend to find solutions that correspond to issues that are happening in the present without looking at the repercussions which might have a strong impact on the environment. Many of the computers, cell phones, and other modern devices find themselves in the dumpster after their usefulness has becomes outdated. This becomes a problem with radioactive waste all around the world, and many of the toxins that come from these devices get washed into the soil or contaminate water that runs through our towns or woodlands. Disposing of these hazardous materials is no easy task as people try to fend off disposal facilities, even though the EPA keeps a close watch on correct permits and creates enormous fines to those who violate their rules. One case in Colorado for the Clean Harbors Deer Trail Facility they mention the amount of radiation that will be produced within the compound. In one year the amount of radiation that workers are said to absorb is less than100millirem, where as on a yearly basis people in Colorado absorb around 350millirem of radiation just from the state’s environment. According to Wikipedia, 100 or less millirems of radiation would only cause blood changes, but a dose more than that could cause severe illness or even death. Therefore, the fear of illness will always be a problem around any sort of community that is inhabited.
2.) Some of the websites/ Articles I used:
Colorado county puts stop to train transport of radioactive waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory http://www.santafenewmexican.com/localnews/Colorado-county-puts-stop-to-train-transport-of-radioactive-was
Hazardous Waste Permit and Radioactive Materials License Fact Sheet
www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/hwy36/permit05/factsheet.pd
3.)Only a few OpenEI pages that I had found related to radioactive waste, and not so much on the disposal aspect except the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s page which deals with managing low and high level waste.
4.) To get me motivated to contribute to a site like OpenEI, the issue would have to deal with me on a personal level. I’m sure I would write if I were more informed, or actually lived near a waste facility to grab my attention. However, I do try to recycle batteries and cellular devices simply by being motivated by a bin that says, “recycle used electronics here.”
Jo: 1. Describe the energy-related problem or topic your group selected.
Already lots written on this by other team members.
2. Describe any Web resources you found about that problem or topic.
Radioactive waste is potentially a problem in our own state of Colorado. The Rocky Flats plant in Golden has a chequered past, according to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Flats_Plant
Additionally the final report, given 9 years after the plant's closure, is found here: http://www.clarkcountynuclearwaste.info/Documents/BoulderCityGovernmentalandFiscalImpactReportJuly2001.pdf
3. Describe any related OpenEI resources you found.
There is very little available on OpenEI so far, however the topic of radioactive waste is certainly recognized as placeholders have been put into the system, which seem to invite people to create full documents on it.
4. Discuss what it would take for you to contribute information (such as what you may have found in step 1) to the OpenEI site and what would motivate you to do so.
I would want to ensure any information I added to the site on such a serious topic was completely correct and factual before adding it. I would want to ensure my name and credibility would not be jeopardized by contributing, and that people would find the information useful. I would be motivated to contribute with two factors in mind: a) There is a lack of corroborating source information available on the web other than Wikipedia. I would seek to add value and credibility to the Wikipedia article through my own research. b) If there is a danger to people living in the area of Rocky Flats, I would want to expose the information to attempt to assist those people.
Jason
1) Radioactive Waste Disposal - As we move toward more nuclear energy, the disposal of radioactive waste will become a bigger issue. We need places to safely dispose it.
2) http://www.adcoservices.com/gclid=COmDkeHhkqUCFcgK2godZj9NNA This site is the site for a company that disposes low level radioactive waste.
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/docs/radwaste/ This site describes the different types of radioactive waste and how it is dealt with.
3) I did not find anything on OpenEI related to radioactive wast disposal
4) Doing so would have to be an assignment or someone would have to paying me. I'm no expert on this topic, so I would have to do more research to verify the stuff I've got. Therefore, it takes a strong motivator.
