What If You Fell Into a Spent Nuclear Fuel Pool?

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?

Watch more what-if scenarios:

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

[teekalastennet]

Don't you just hate it when you accidentally trip and fall into a nuclear fuel pool?

[Paul-ttoi]

Mr beast - "Last to leave the spent nuclear fuel pool wins $20000"

[jeffreymyles]

Me:
YouTube: what if you fell in a nuclear fuel pool?
Me: yeah I might need to know this

[subhazard]

Actually falling into one of these pool is quite lethal. For most people, it's the sudden overdose of lead into the body by the nearby guards.

[NaNi]

OMG thank you I was just about to jump into a spent nuclear fuel rod pool you saved me.

[MitchellTheMitch]

Everyone gangsta til the control rods start jumping.

[climlim]

"even though its trash, there's no garbage dump in the world that will accept it."

best description of me.

[petarbrlek]

I work at a nuclear plant, and in short, here's what will happen:

Water serves as a neutron reflector and the hydrgoen absorbs radiation and shields you from it, so virutally nothing would happen to you if you were to swim in it.

Touching a fuel rod:

Fresh fuel rods are safe and you can hold it in your hand. In fact, we handle fresh fuel rods by hand and use only gloves, although nothing would happen if we didn't. Safety first, though.

Spent fuel rods, on the other hand, are extremely radioactive, so if you want to touch it, you will fail because you'll be a goner by then.

Now, one thing interesting is, since water is such a strong shield, you could swim in a spent fuel pool up to some extent. 3-4 meters is very safe. Half a metre deeper, you have a couple hours to live. Another half a metre, you have minutes.

[mrsmith]

So basically you're telling me that pool is more safe than your typical public pool?!?
That sounds about right

[terrellma]

I work in a nuclear power plant, and you actually wear a life vest in case you were to fall in. If you stay towards the surface you would be fine.

[boruto]

Just pray and hope you come out alive with super powers.

[StormsparkPegasus]

Fun fact: just under the surface, you would receive LESS radiation than you would outside the pool. Because the water would block the natural background radiation. As long as you stay at least 5 meters away from the fuel rods, the water and the inverse square law will completely protect you.

[arunmohan]

What if it rains at same time all over the earth ?

[endrilimani]

Me:*falls falls in a spent nuclear fuel pool*
*excepts to transform into hulk*
*transforms into shrek*

[TitanD]

I've been told it's the equivalent of chest x-ray!

[lukew]

The author of XKCD asked his friend, who worked at a research nuclear reactor, what would happen if you tried to swim in their spent rod cooling pool for his book "What If?". The friend answered, saying "In our reactor? You'd die pretty quickly, before reaching the water, from gunshot wounds." For sure backs up the real question of what are you doing near a spent fuel rod pool, and how did you even get there.

[OffensiveJestr]

I've been on this earth for 44 years, and I've always wondered what would happen if I fell into a nuclear fuel pool. After all these years, I'm highly disappointed.

[TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Most of these "What If's" just result in death.

[Maurice_Moss]

4 minutes just to say nothing will happen? **facepalm**

[seany]

I work in nuclear reactors moving fuel assemblies in and out of spent fuel pool. Guys have fallen in and they just have to shower a few times and get their dosage tested.. the only big deal is filling out all the paperwork and then being ridiculed for years after lol.People think its unsafe but its actually a very safe job and by far the cleanest/most efficient form of energy production on the planet