Nuclear energy, Radioactive waste.

NUCLEAR ENERGY,

RADIOACTIVE WASTE

Introduction

Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine. Radioactive waste is hazardous to most forms of life and the environment, and is regulated by government agencies in order to protect human health and the environment.

Causes

·         Some are generated insocialutilityfacilities such asradioactivemedicalfacilities, like with X-ray machines, radiation therapy.

·         The most are spent fuel fromnuclear power plants.Among these residues we will find plutonium-239, a radioactive isotope. They emit radiation for thousands of years and have a very high toxicity. They must be specially treated with special containers.

·         Warheads from missiles and atomic bombs.

·         Proliferation of nuclear weapons take a high risk of accidents with the bad use of it.

Consequences

Nuclear energy is a non-renewable energy, which will end sometime and start to pollute. But it contaminates with radiation.
Radiation is one of the most dangerous consequences of nuclear energy.
The radiation may be able to kill you.
There are two types of radiation:

§  Natural radiation .
It is what comes from nature, for example, radiation from outer space, or that come from rocks or minerals.

§  The artificial radiation.

For example, the radiation coming from the TV or the machines that make radiographs.

Also if there is an accident at a nuclear power plant when explode there will be scattering radiation, as happened in Russia in Chernobyl. There could also be a leak of this radiation
The waste of nuclear power are stored in containers and some anti-radiation get into a nuclear waste if the waste escaping from there would be a disaster.

Made by Enrique J. Vervoort & Juan Laorden