Is there any by-product of nuclear power that looks like the "nuclear waste" seen all the time in movies and on TV?
Like glow-in-the-dark, neon green, snot?
2007-12-19 05:43:57 · 1 answers · asked by juicy_wishun 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
No, and contrary to movie depictions, most solutions seen in chemistry labs are colorless, not green or red or purple (although that would be a lot prettier than reality). The radioactive waste in my lab is mostly in colorless solutions or invisible contamination, which is why scientists work so hard to make sure they aren't tracking radioactive materials around the lab. In nuclear power plants the waste would be innocuous-looking metal or contaminated water.
2007-12-19 05:53:27 · answer #1 · answered by Beetle in a Box 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you had a *phosphor* to convert gamma rays (beta, alpha, neutrons, whatever) to visible light (like old time x-ray machines) it might glow.
VEry high-level waste (spent reactor fuel) has a pretty blue glow that goes into surrounding water ("Cherenkov RAdiation")
There are also a few bacteria, etc. that do fairly well on a diet of high-energy photons (radiation). They might constitute "Goo".
2007-12-19 15:29:34 · answer #2 · answered by A Guy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋