Nuclear power plants generate massive amounts of radioactive waste, through the decaying of Uranium. This waste must be disposed of safely. For several decades, from 1946 to 1993, the method of disposing with this waste was to simply put the rods into drums, and weld them shut. After the spent fuel was sealed, they would simply dump the rods into the ocean. The sites at which the barrels were dumped were selected by scientists for stability in both current and temperature, to keep the barrels undisturbed. However, it is only a matter of time until the barrels corrode and leak the radioactive fuel. In addition to this, some companies, hoping to save money, have historically dumped raw spent fuel rods into the unprotected waters in Somalia. This has irradiated the population of Somalia, which rely heavily on fish for food.
Nuclear waste dumping has since halted, but the effects will go on for hundreds of years. The slow release of the nuclear waste will plague humanity for centuries to come. In addition to the previous risk of ocean dumping, now global warming poses a new risk to the safety of these barrels. As the climate warms, ocean currents change and become less and less stable. When the current changes up, it is possible that the heavily corroded barrels will break open, unleashing their radioactive waste into the ocean waters.