spent nuclear fuel

Sometimes I ask my interlocutors: what are you afraid of in nuclear technology? The most common answer is: "it is an invisible killer, you never know from which side and when this terrible radiation will act on you."
And how do you manage the millions of tons of CO2, NOx and other toxic substances dispersed in the atmosphere? Will you be calmer when you see a brown cloud of nitrogen oxides because you will know which side the poison is coming from? In reality, what do we have more influence on? the mechanism is similar to car travel vs. flights by plane. More people die on the roads every day than in many plane crashes combined. But many people are afraid to fly because SEASELY on land they feel more in control.