Spent nuclear reactor fuel is kept sealed in steel cylinders behind glass walls, at a government facility. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

A high-level waste repository has met with local opposition. Some 80km of tunnels could hold 77,000 tons of waste, but Nevada officials contest the safety of the design, and the site is not yet licensed. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

A guard watches over a plutonium vault at the Rocky Flats Plant. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

Hanford Nuclear Reservation. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

An alligator is tested for radiation acquired from eating contaminated fish. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

A worker handles plutonium using protective lead-lined gloves at Rocky Flats Plant. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

Nuclear waste is transported to an underground repository. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

A researcher. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

Nuclear waste incinerator. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

Three Mile Island nuclear plant was the site of a partial meltdown in 1979. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

At the Department of Energy's Hanford Site, underground tanks hold radioactive waste from plutonium processing. A long-awaited cleanup is underway at 114 of the US's nuclear facilities. The nuclear age has produced 52,000 tons of spent fuel from commercial, military and research nuclear reactors, as well as some 91 million gallons of waste from plutonium processing - both are classified as high-level waste, the most dangerously radioactive kind. Radioactivity can last for millions of years. Depleted uranium, contaminated tools, and plutonium itself are among other products of the nuclear industry requiring safe storage. High-level waste in the USA is accumulating at a rate of more than 2,000 tons a year. In addition to waste storage, nuclear reactors must be decommissioned and contaminated soil and groundwater cleaned up.

Science & Technology - 3rd prize