Uranium & deadly radioactive waste are transported through communities in trucks and trains. A major crossroads for railroads, 21 major train derailments occurred near San Antonio in 2004, killing 5.
In 1992, the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Engineering Lab produced a report that found there were 53 accidents during the transport of low-level waste over the last 20 years. Four of those incidents involved a radioactive release but stated that no public was ever at risk due to the efforts of emergency personnel repackaging the waste. There are in fact extremely strict regulations for the shipment of low-level waste. One of the biggest factors that ensures the public’s safety is that all waste must be in solid form. This prevents the possibility of any explosion that could occur with liquid waste. The packaging for the waste undergoes extreme testing to prevent release even in “severe accidents.” Also, there are licensing, inspection (which takes place at every critical step of the shipping process), and enforcement regulations. Perhaps the most important factor is the nation-wide tracking system that monitors everything from the source to the receipt of the waste. Local governments are involved in preparing for any emergency that may occur along the transportation route. These personnel are highly trained for virtually any problem that could arise. Finally, manifests and records are kept and updated throughout every step of the shipping process to keep close watch on these shipments as they make their way to the destination facility. The Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority produced a statistic that states “of the 100 million shipments of hazardous materials transported in the U.S. each year, only 2% are radioactive material shipments.” Therefore, over the past quarter of a century “transportation accidents involving radioactive materials totaled 342, with only 53 involving commercial low-level waste.” Of these only 4 accidents involved low-level waste release and no injuries or deaths have been reported with these accidents. These statistics demonstrate the ability to transport these wastes efficiently and safely.