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May 21, 2015 9:31 PM Subscribe
Excerpts from Expert Judgment on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Full technical report here.
"The expert panel identified basic principles to guide current and future marker development efforts: (1) the site must be marked, (2) message(s) must be truthful and informative, (3) multiple components within a marker system, (4) multiple means of communication (e.g., language, pictographs, scientific diagrams), (5) multiple levels of complexity within individual messages on individual marker system elements, (6) use of materials with little recycle value, and (7) international effort to maintain knowledge of the locations and contents of nuclear waste repositories. The efficacy of the markers in deterring inadvertent human intrusion was estimated to decrease with time, with the probability function varying with the mode of intrusion (who is intruding and for what purpose) and the level of technological development of the society. The development of a permanent, passive marker system capable of surviving and remaining interpretable for 10,000 years will require further study prior to implementation."
"The expert panel identified basic principles to guide current and future marker development efforts: (1) the site must be marked, (2) message(s) must be truthful and informative, (3) multiple components within a marker system, (4) multiple means of communication (e.g., language, pictographs, scientific diagrams), (5) multiple levels of complexity within individual messages on individual marker system elements, (6) use of materials with little recycle value, and (7) international effort to maintain knowledge of the locations and contents of nuclear waste repositories. The efficacy of the markers in deterring inadvertent human intrusion was estimated to decrease with time, with the probability function varying with the mode of intrusion (who is intruding and for what purpose) and the level of technological development of the society. The development of a permanent, passive marker system capable of surviving and remaining interpretable for 10,000 years will require further study prior to implementation."
This post was deleted for the following reason: Double. -- restless_nomad
The spikes, thorns and earthworks always remind me of various holocaust memorials I've seen - close to what they are going for in terms of grimness of tone, but possibly not communicating the intent that you should stay away.
posted by Artw at 9:40 PM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 9:40 PM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think the number of times this has been reposted shows how wrongheaded their approach was. You don't keep people away with "menacing earthworks" or "spikes bursting through a grid". You keep them away by just making the place utterly boring.
posted by steveminutillo at 9:46 PM on May 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by steveminutillo at 9:46 PM on May 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
The 99% Invisible episode about this is a must must must listen.
Features folk song abt. radioactive warning kitties.
posted by wemayfreeze at 9:46 PM on May 21, 2015
Features folk song abt. radioactive warning kitties.
posted by wemayfreeze at 9:46 PM on May 21, 2015
We've seen this before.
WIPP has far bigger issues than the 10,000 year message: a truck caught fire last year, followed a week later by an unrelated incident where a ceiling seems to have collapsed, releasing radiation outside of the design parameters.
The marker plan is vaguely interesting, but has always smacked of a PR effort to convince us that there's an actual responsible plan to dispose of nuclear waste. The truth is that there is no such plan. We can't even manage to bury low level transuranic waste for a couple of years without screwing it up fairly seriously, yet we're supposed to think the grown ups have it all figured out. What the heck are we going to do with high level waste? And why did they pick 10,000 years anyway? The radiation will last a lot longer than that.
posted by zachlipton at 9:50 PM on May 21, 2015
WIPP has far bigger issues than the 10,000 year message: a truck caught fire last year, followed a week later by an unrelated incident where a ceiling seems to have collapsed, releasing radiation outside of the design parameters.
The marker plan is vaguely interesting, but has always smacked of a PR effort to convince us that there's an actual responsible plan to dispose of nuclear waste. The truth is that there is no such plan. We can't even manage to bury low level transuranic waste for a couple of years without screwing it up fairly seriously, yet we're supposed to think the grown ups have it all figured out. What the heck are we going to do with high level waste? And why did they pick 10,000 years anyway? The radiation will last a lot longer than that.
posted by zachlipton at 9:50 PM on May 21, 2015
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posted by StickyCarpet at 9:37 PM on May 21, 2015