text: The nuclear power industry is also a source of uranium in the environment in the form of radioactive waste or through nuclear accidents such as Three Mile Island or the Chernobyl disaster. Perceived risks of contamination associated with this industry contribute to the anti-nuclear movement.
  In 2020, there were over 250,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste being stored globally in temporary containers. This waste is produced by nuclear power plants and weapons facilities, and is a serious human health and environmental issue. There are plans to permanently dispose of high-level waste in deep geological repositories, but none of these are operational. Corrosion of aging temporary containers has caused some waste to leak into the environment. 
  Spent uranium dioxide fuel is very insoluble in water, it is likely to release uranium (and fission products) even more slowly than borosilicate glass when in contact with water.