What If You Fell Into a Spent Nuclear Fuel Pool?

What If You Fell Into a Spent Nuclear Fuel Pool?
Spread The Viralist



Spent nuclear fuel pools are designed to cool fuel rods after they come out of a nuclear reactor. While powering a nuclear reactor, these fuel rods become very, very hot (2,800 degrees Celsius / 5,092 degrees Fahrenheit). After they’ve spent 3 to 6 years inside of a nuclear reactor, fuel rods are no longer efficient. Problem is, they still emit plenty of harmful radiation, and they will for the next 10,000 years. Even though it’s trash, there’s not a garbage dump in the world that will accept it. So, why is water a good place to put these things and what would happen if you fall into one of those spent fuel pools?

Transcript and sources: https://insh.world/science/what-if-you-fell-into-a-spent-nuclear-fuel-pool/

Made possible with the support of Ontario Creates http://www.ontariocreates.ca

Watch more what-if scenarios:
Planet Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-HhCwYD7rc&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJCzxwmCq0NNpYq9N9wyb2l
The Cosmos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfuJyVkMH_g&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJno6oFF9nLGuwXNGYHmE8U
Technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS3bBO05fpU&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTIeRY3JtgXgoGqSEB7kDdKO
Your Body: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmXR46TrbA8&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJNsV9FFeNAKl2ySsHj8GZO
Humanity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdCDQIyXGnw&list=PLZdXRHYAVxTIFnvmOeWbv-Mt8zFxSCSvZ

Follow what-if on Instagram for bonus material: https://www.instagram.com/what.if.show/
Suggest an episode: http://bit.ly/suggest-whatif
T-shirts and merch: http://bit.ly/whatifshop
Facebook Watch: https://www.facebook.com/What.If.science
Watch on Tubi: http://bit.ly/what-if-tubi

“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.” — Carl Sagan

Feedback, inquiries and suggestions: https://underknown.com/contact

source

Recommended For You

About the Author: What If

38 Comments

  1. Reminds me of the diver that was sucked into a nuclear power plant while diving in the ocean. He was pulled in by giant fans, into a pipe, and spit out into a nuclear fuel pool. He received no radiation from the incident. Interesting stuff.

  2. I know a guy who voluntarily jumped in to save a zip tie clipping that flew in. Imagine how bad the alternative must have been for that to sound like a good idea.

  3. If you ingest any of the water you will instantly poo. The pools are not green but have large concentrations of boron which makes causes instant extreme diarrhea.
    The pools are filled about 20' above the fuel to give that barrier.
    3:42 that's not ionizing radiation like nuclear power gives off. That's electromagnetic radiation coming from wifi and other electronics. Although both are harmful in large quantities, they have very different health effects.

Comments are closed.