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"Welcome to Yucca Mountain," by Jeff Wheelright. Discover, September 2002.
Wheelright reports that a governmental computer model has determined that Yucca Mountain is a suitable repository for America's nuclear waste storage. The modeling included data on weather, the geological components at all strata, potential for earthquakes or volcanoes, combined with the likelihood of accident, corroding containers and hazardous exposures, and what is known about the properties of nuclear waste. But because the model--"equations and assumptions"--cannot predict with assurance the future (cannot control or know all the variables, and cannot know the natural and material processes), political and scientific debate abounds. The author examines responses from the scientific community and lay public regarding the tests, computer modeling, and possible short and long term environmental and health ramifications.
--- Annette Emerson
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