What to do with all that radioactive waste? That is a question not asked nearly enough in the debate about nuclear power. There is also the disturbing question about the finite resource of uranium that is needed for nuclear power. Not to mention the harmful environmental impact of uranium mining.
But the uranium question is for another film. "Into Eternity," which screened recently at the Avalon Theatre in Upper Northwest Washington, D.C. as part of the 19th Annual Environmental Film Festival, explores the reality of storing the waste from spent fuel rods.
The nation of Finland is currently carving out of solid rock the world's first permanent repository for nuclear waste. The Onkalo underground storage facility is an enormous system of underground tunnels that is supposed to last 100,000 years. This is because a radioactive element such as plutonium has a half life of 24,100 years.
Through interviews and filming deep under the earth, Director Michael Madsen takes us into uncharted territory and asks many provocative questions about how our use of nuclear energy today will affect future generations. Given the constant news updates on the nuclear crisis in Japan, this documentary couldn't be more timely.
Here is the trailer:
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