Clean energy is booming as governments and companies work to save people's health and boost bottom lines. But one tool in the kit is often overlooked, in part because of concerns about its safety: nuclear power.
Ms. Nuclear Energy (@cunningham.kaylee) took to TikTok to debunk a myth about the impact of mining. The 35-second video was a response to a user who claimed, "The amount of rare earth metals that nuclear energy needs to exist and … their mining devastates environments."
@cunningham.kaylee Replying to @Elperroloco9797 #greenscreen #uraniummining #miners #radtok #nuketok #msnuclearenergy ♬ original sound - Ms. Nuclear Energy
The creator, citing the World Nuclear Association, noted that most uranium is mined via in situ leaching — the most environmentally acceptable and cost-effective method of mining in the United States, while a commenter pointed out that rare earth metals are not mined to generate nuclear power.
Ms. Nuclear Energy, Kaylee Cunningham, is a doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering at the University of Florida. She has a master of science, as well as a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering.
The World Nuclear Association explains that in situ recovery in North America "involves leaving the ore where it is in the ground and recovering the minerals from it by dissolving them and pumping the pregnant solution to the surface." This minimizes surface disturbance, produces no tailings or waste rock, and maintains groundwater purity.
"Just another common misconception," Kaylee concluded, coolly sliding on a pair of sunglasses.
Users applauded her stance and added information.
"I wish you would be less nice and more nuclear with your rebuttals," one joked.
"Even if he was right, we need so little of it that it's nothing compared to the alternatives," someone else wrote.
Others hit back.
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Which of these factors would most effectively convince you to support nuclear energy projects in your area? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Lower energy bills 💸 "Tell that to the Lakota on Pine Ridge. Just another white person telling us we're not dying," one TikToker said, citing a study that said uranium contamination of drinking water sources from untreated mine waste on reservations "is a largely ignored and underfunded public health crisis."
Someone else provided a link to information about mining contamination in Navajo Nation, where there are over 500 abandoned uranium mines. From 1944 to 1986, those mines produced almost 30 million tons of uranium ore, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The resulting radiation contamination of homes, water sources, and drinking water has elevated cancer risks and impaired kidney functions, and the government created a Superfund designation and agreed to a $1.7 billion settlement to remediate the problem.
The complex topic is worth exploring further, as the U.S. already gets 19% of its electricity from nuclear energy, which offers the promise of no heat-trapping pollution in the ever-warming world and minimal waste. If communities are suffering from the extraction of uranium, however, the benefits may not outweigh those consequences.
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