Nuclear is the best btw.
this post was submitted on 04 May 2026
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And they already exist in the planet. It's not like these materials are magicked into existence. They're already here.
We refine it. We use it. Then we put the used material back into the ground, in a place that's probably safer and more out of the way than it was before it got mined.
We purify the material, yes.
If the ore grade is lower (e.g., 0.05%), you’d need ~280–300 kg of ore per kg of U-235.
When a hypothetical water contamination would occur in a natural deposit with a 0.05% density, it would contaminate water less than if it would occur with a purified source.
"The dose makes the poison." You may have heard the proverb.
The higher the dosage, the higher the potential health risk. Which is exactly why the purified material is so much more dangerous than the natural occuring sources.
You also assume controlled environments, deep in old salt mines. Have a look at this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Susana_Field_Laboratory#cite_note-VCR_2003-02-19-33
"Lopez described the cleanup of the heavily polluted sodium burn pit, a six-acre site where Rocketdyne disposed of massive amounts of radioactive waste. The modus operandi included chucking barrels of radioactive sodium into the sludgy pond and firing a gun at the canisters, which would then explode, releasing radioactive contaminants into the air.Lopez said that the pit has now been excavated ten to 12 feet down to the bedrock, resulting in the removal of 22,000 cubic yards of soil."
They did so, because the barrels wouldn't sink to the ground of the pond.
There isn't even a guarantee, for correct disposal. One could pocket life changing money by chucking barrels into the sea, today.
But that was not my point, my point was we cannot assume a controlled environment, even to the best of our abilities and knowledge, in timespans we haven't even been able to measure our own history in.
I am not totally against nuclear energy, it has the highest energy density possible. Heavier atoms aren't stable enough. The periodic table ends with these elements for a reason.
But the potential dangers, stemming from them are unimaginable. Because they exceed our very own existence as a species.