The Uranium leak and contamination at Westinghouse Electric's nuclear fuel plant is a clear indication of the absence of the proper implementation of market-based instruments to facilitate environmental conservation. Uranium contamination was recently discovered at the Westinghouse nuclear fuel factory that exists on Bluff Road (The State, 2018). The leak took place through the plant’s floor, which already had a history of contaminations. As the plant has already had past cases concerned with the contamination of groundwater, this recent leak indicates a lack of responsibility by the manufacturers of the plant.
Extended product responsibility is a concept that refers to the responsibility that the producer of a product holds for all the adverse impacts involved in the production and disposal of the product. In this case, the owners of the nuclear fuel plant and the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) are both responsible for the effects that the uranium leak may have. One of the primary concerns, in this case, is the effect that this contamination may have on the groundwater surrounding the Westinghouse area.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
While there are no drinking water reservoirs that are close to the plant, there is still a considerable risk that the contamination may spread off the Westinghouse property (The State, 2018). While the plant provides employment for about 1000 workers and produces uranium-based fuel for the country’s atomic power reactors, the contamination risk currently associated with the plan is still too significant. Moreover, as the fining of the nuclear plant several times over the last two decades has resulted in no improvements, the DHEC should consider structuring more stringent instruments to control contamination by the plant. With problems ranging from the build-up in uranium to worker incidents, a further review of the plant is necessary to minimize its environmental impact.
References
The State. (2018). Senator wants answers from DHEC about uranium that leaked from SC nuclear plant. Retrieved 31 st January 2020 from https://www.thestate.com/latest-news/article215543880.html
