Editing Nuclear power (section)

==== Waste relative to other types ====
{{See also|Radioactive waste#Naturally occurring radioactive material}}
In countries with nuclear power, radioactive wastes account for less than 1% of total industrial toxic wastes, much of which remains hazardous for long periods.<ref name="wna-wmitnfc" /> Overall, nuclear power produces far less waste material by volume than fossil-fuel based power plants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nuclearinfo.net/Nuclearpower/TheRisksOfNuclearPower|title=The Challenges of Nuclear Power|access-date=2013-01-04|archive-date=2017-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510092527/http://nuclearinfo.net/Nuclearpower/TheRisksOfNuclearPower}}</ref> Coal-burning plants, in particular, produce large amounts of toxic and mildly radioactive ash resulting from the concentration of [[naturally occurring radioactive material]]s in coal.<ref>{{cite journal |date=2007-12-13 |title=Coal Ash Is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste |journal=Scientific American |access-date=2012-09-11 |archive-date=2013-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612103809/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2008 report from [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] concluded that coal power actually results in more radioactivity being released into the environment than nuclear power operation, and that the population [[effective dose equivalent]] from radiation from coal plants is 100 times that from the operation of nuclear plants.<ref name="colmain">{{cite web |author=Gabbard |first=Alex |date=2008-02-05 |title=Coal Combustion: Nuclear Resource or Danger |url=http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205103749/http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html |archive-date=February 5, 2007 |access-date=2008-01-31 |publisher=Oak Ridge National Laboratory}}</ref> Although coal ash is much less radioactive than spent nuclear fuel by weight, coal ash is produced in much higher quantities per unit of energy generated. It is also released directly into the environment as [[fly ash]], whereas nuclear plants use shielding to protect the environment from radioactive materials.<ref name="cejournal">{{cite journal |date=2008-12-31 |title=Coal ash is ''not'' more radioactive than nuclear waste |url= http://www.cejournal.net/?p=410 |journal=CE Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827045039/http://www.cejournal.net/?p=410 |archive-date=2009-08-27 }}</ref>

Nuclear waste volume is small compared to the energy produced. For example, at [[Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Station]], which generated 44 billion [[kilowatt hours]] of electricity when in service, its complete spent fuel inventory is contained within sixteen casks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yankeerowe.com/ |title=Yankee Nuclear Power Plant |publisher=Yankeerowe.com |access-date=2013-06-22 |archive-date=2006-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060303073110/http://www.yankeerowe.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is estimated that to produce a lifetime supply of energy for a person at a western [[standard of living]] (approximately 3{{nbsp}}[[GWh]]) would require on the order of the volume of a [[soda can]] of [[low enriched uranium]], resulting in a similar volume of spent fuel generated.<ref name="Generation Atomic">{{cite web|url=https://www.generationatomic.org/why-nuclear|title=Why nuclear energy|work=Generation Atomic|date=26 January 2021|access-date=22 December 2018|archive-date=23 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223073651/https://www.generationatomic.org/why-nuclear|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="npr.org">{{cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125740818 | title=NPR Nuclear Waste May Get A Second Life | work=NPR | access-date=2018-12-22 | archive-date=2018-12-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223030055/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125740818 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/TommyZhou.shtml|title=Energy Consumption of the United States - The Physics Factbook|website=hypertextbook.com|access-date=2018-12-22|archive-date=2018-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223073750/https://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/TommyZhou.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>