Nic, do you have to take big precautions when you travel to Chernobyl? Strap Geiger counters to every part of your body? Wear funny suits? Swallow pills? I've heard that there are some people who are taking vacations there, which seems like a really dumb idea to me. I mean, I've travelled to some strange places, but that is moronic in a really special way.
When in the affected area my radiation dose uptake will be monitored. I am sure to get more dose from the flight there & back though. If I went into an area where there was a hazard of loose material that could be ingested or inhaled I would need to wear a suit and respiratory protection.
Many people live in areas with high natural background radiation anyway due to the make up of the surroundings (eg natural radiation from rocks, living at a higher altitude). Many people travel by plane to go on vacation and will get a higher radiation dose from travelling higher up in the atmosphere - for every hour spent on a high altitude flight you receive about 8 times more dose than on the ground. It depends why these people are going on vacation there - if it is to tour around then why not if that's what they are interested in.
Radioactive waste is a sticking point, but there are many other chemically and biologically toxic wastes (poisons, carcinogens, viruses, infectious agents, etc) that also have to be dealt with. Some of these wastes are incinerated contributing to increased carbon emissions. Hospitals are the other main producers of radioactive waste (from clinical procedures). There are technologies under research to develop techniques to deal with radwaste apart from storage. Right now storage is the best option. Storage containers and facilities are rigourously tested to withstand punctures, penetrations, pressures, crushes, impacts, explosions, fires, immersions, etc In Sweden, a town competed to have a waste repository built near it because of the jobs & associated benefits it would bring to the area.
Like most pro-nuclear people, I am pro in the sense that we have to use it now as part of the energy solution until there is a better more practicable, efficient way. It is interesting that many people say they would be
willing to conserve energy etc but why not actually
do something? I am working in the industry, monitoring safety & environmental impact and feel I am doing an important job to ensure the safety & energy availibity for curent and future generations.
I have learnt loads of sdiverse tuff through love of BBM - seems like you are too, although it may not be exactly fun stuff.