As human technology industries thrive, a plethora of everyday conveniences are produced. Not to mention how much waste is made to meet the market demands, the energy used to produce the products can cause severe issues in the environment. Apart from the commonly known dirty energy sources, nuclear energy can also create radioactive pollution that affects the environment negatively.
Before we go into that juicy stuff about radioactive pollution, we need some background information on what exactly is radiation coming from atom nuclei? A general overview is that unstable atoms release energy or charged particles from its nucleus in the form of radiation to regain stability. The types of radiation are usually in the form of , , and rays, where and rays are ionizing radiation, capable of knocking off an electron from an atom and breaking covalent bonds, and rays which is a high energy electromagnetic wave that can penetrate through cells. These types of radiation are able to cause DNA breaks which will increase susceptibility of cancer and other chronic diseases. If soil or water are contaminated with radioactivity, it will affect the rest of the food chain because they are the most fundamental sources needed for life.(Radioactive substances will carry from one organism to another if ingested.)
Radioactive pollution is commonly sorted into three categories:
Continuous pollution - pollution that is constantly occurring, for example uranium mines, nuclear reactors, and test laboratories.
Occasional pollution - pollution that comes from occasional nuclear tests or during radioactive substance experiments.
Accidental pollution - pollution from experiments involving radioactive substances fails and the spread of radioactive pollution becomes uncontrollable.
To properly dispose of the nuclear wastes, store them in heavy, thick concrete containers or dilute them (since storage may not always be an option). Labeling the contained wastes is always a necessary precaution, and ALWAYS consult a professional when dealing with radioactive wastes. Of course banning nuclear energy, testing, and experiments would be the most effective way to reduce radioactive pollution, but it’s also difficult to neglect the benefits they come with. With the current circumstances, a more feasible way to decrease radioactive pollution is to encourage usage of renewable energy sources while retaining safety in nuclear power plants and with nuclear testing.
Works Cited:
“Radiation and Pollution: Environmental Pollution Centers.” Radiation and Pollution | Environmental Pollution Centers, Environmental Pollution Centers, 2017, www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/radiation/.
Rinkesh. “Radioactive Pollution: Causes, Effects and Solutions to Nuclear Radiation.” Conserve Energy Future, Conserve Energy Future, 26 June 2020, www.conserve-energy-future.com/radioactive-pollution-causes-effects-solutions.php.
Su, Linda, and Joseph Chou. “The Effects of Radiation on Matter.” Chemistry LibreTexts, Libretexts, 8 Sept. 2020, https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Nuclear_Chemistry/Radioactivity/The_Effects_of_Radiation_on_Matter.