Letter: Forever safe

Tom Curtin
Sunday 20 February 1994 00:02 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

LONG-LASTING radioactive wastes will have to be disposed of safely for 'all time', (Briefly, 13 February). Stringent safety requirements lay down a target that the annual risk to an individual from a deep underground repository will not exceed one in a million. This is a small fraction of the risk theoretically implied by natural background radiation.

Before disposal can be authorised, Nirex will also have to prove that it is impossible that amounts of plutonium, tiny in relation to the total mass of material in this repository, could migrate from stainless steel drums embedded in concrete and come together to cause a nuclear reaction.

Tom Curtin

Nirex

Didcot, Oxon

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in