HUMAN AND POLLUTION
Based on title,
human is the main causes of pollution. Don’t you
agree.
what is Pollution?
"Pollution is the
introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse
change. Pollution can take the form
of chemical substances
or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either
foreign
substances/energies or
naturally occurring contaminants.”
Wikipedia
Yes, I did copy and pasted
from Wikipedia it saves time, basically from the passage you can understand
that anything that causes contamination to the environment which is harmful to
the natural habitat are pollutions. Today I like to discuss about Radioactive pollution. Radioactive
pollution or know as radioactive contamination is the remain substance of radioactive material
resulting from activities in atomic physics ,such as nuclear power generation
and nuclear weapons research .This activities emits out ionising radiation such as alpha
particles or beta
particles, gamma rays or neutrons rays, the effect is depends the concentration of the contaminants, the energy
of the radiation being emitted, the type of radiation, and the level of the
contamination to organs of the body. It is important to be clear that the
contamination gives rise to the radiation hazard.
Periodic table with elements
coloured according to the half-life of their most stable isotope.
Elements which contain at least one stable isotope.
Radioactive
elements: the most stable isotope is very long-lived, with half-life of over
four million years.
Radioactive
elements: the most stable isotope has half-life between 800 and 34.000 years.
Radioactive
elements: the most stable isotope has half-life between one day and 103 years.
Highly radioactive elements: the most
stable isotope has half-life between several minutes and one day.
Extremely
radioactive elements: the most stable isotope has half-life less than several
minutes.
The radiation may affect a person, a place,
an animal, or an object such as clothing. Following an atmospheric nuclear
weapon discharge or a nuclear reactor explosion will affect the air, soil,
people, plants, and animals in the environment and will become contaminated
by nuclear
fuel and fission products. A
spilled container of radioactive
material like uranyl nitrate may
contaminate the floor and any cloth used to wipe up the spill. Cases of
widespread radioactive contamination include The Bikini
Atoll on 1 July 1946, The Rocky
Flats Plant in Colorado in
August 1989, The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster on
12 March 2011 by tsunami , The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster on
1986 , and the area around The Mayak facility in Russia in
29 September 1957.
THE ROCKY FLATS NUCLEAR PLANT
THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
THE SOURCE OF RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION
Here are the major sources where radioactive wastes are generated and are responsible for radioactive pollution
·
Uranium mining
Uranium mining
·
Production
of nuclear fuel
·
Nuclear
power reactors
·
Use
of radionuclides in industries for various application
·
Nuclear
tests carried out by the Defense Personnel
·
Disposal
of nuclear waste.
Natural
uranium
has a fissile material,
uranium-235, that can be concentrated to make highly enriched uranium and also
primary ingredient of one type of atomic bomb. Natural uranium can also be used
in a production reactor to create plutonium, as plutonium-239. Plutonium
extracted and processed from a production reactor can be used in a second type
of atomic bomb.
This are the some of the example in our daily life, but honestly this material is relatively harmless.
Some example of radioactive substance in our
daily life
Radioactive
element
|
Example of everyday
material
|
Ameircium-241
|
Smoke detector
|
Promethium-147
Radium-226
|
Watches and clock
|
Uranium
Thorium
Potassium
|
ceramics |
Potassium-40
|
Food
|
Thorium-232
|
Gas Lantern Mantles
|
THE HARMFUL
EFFECT
The radioactive pollution occurs by
·
Continuous pollution: This type of condition exists in Uranium mines, nuclear reactors and laboratories where the humans are under continuous exposure to radioactive contaminants.
Continuous pollution: This type of condition exists in Uranium mines, nuclear reactors and laboratories where the humans are under continuous exposure to radioactive contaminants.
·
Accidental pollution: This type of condition exists during accidental exposure to radiations by virtue of equipment failure, radiation leakage , faulty protective equipment
Accidental pollution: This type of condition exists during accidental exposure to radiations by virtue of equipment failure, radiation leakage , faulty protective equipment
·
Occasional pollution: This condition exists during isolated experiment or test of nuclear substance.
Occasional pollution: This condition exists during isolated experiment or test of nuclear substance.
Human
Radioactive substances are among the most toxic substances known. Low levels of radiation exposure on a small portion of the body may just affect the cell membranes and cause mild skin irritation. Next, other immediate effects of short span exposure of nuclear radiation are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of hair and nails, bruises owing to subcutaneous bleeding. High radiation exposures have much acute toxicity and can quickly kill the victim. The victim declines in vitality and dies from anaemia, infection and haemorrhage. High exposure to radiation in growth period can cause brain damage in infants between the eight and fifteen weeks of pregnancy who were exposed to the atomic attack in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II were reported to have a greater incidence of brain damage with side effects including lower Intelligent Quotient (IQ) and severe mental retardation in some cases. The most sensitive organs of human bodies to high radiation exposure are intestines, lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow and gonads. The radiation weakens the immune system of the body and delays the effects of radiation include cataracts, leukaemia, malignant tumours, cardiovascular disorders, premature ageing and reduced life span. The radiation can cause irreparable damage to the genetic material and lead to life-threatening condition. Radiation causes genetic mutations that promote the growth of cancerous cells in the body. The effects of genetic mutation tend to pass on to the future generation.
Effects of Radioactive Pollution on Nature
Plant Growth
Natural radiation is often beneficial to plant growth. It is necessary for many plants to receive some form of non-ionizing radiation. Radiation that produces light in order for photosynthesis to occur is a positive effect that radiation has on plant life. However, according to the Environmental Literacy Council, ionized radiation that occurs from nuclear material may result in weakening of seeds and frequent mutations. For instance, a nuclear plant, called Chernobyl in Russia leaked in 1986 that caused excessive amounts of radiation pollution in that region. A huge cloud of radiation was formed which resulted in a massive amount of destroyed plant life, particularly pine trees in that area. High doses of radiation can be devastating to the environment.
Animal
The effect of radiation in the environment can be dangerous and fatal to humans and animals. The damage it causes depends on the level
Marine Life
The effects that radiation has on marine life can be dangerous. High levels of UV or ultraviolet radiation can cause a reduction in reproduction capabilities. It can also disrupt the timing that plants flower, which can result in changes in pollination patterns. According to NASA, it can also reduce the amount of food and oxygen that plankton produces. Plankton can respond to excessive amount of UV-B or Ultraviolet-B light by sinking deeper into the water. This decreases the amount of visible light required for photosynthesis, which reduces growth and reproduction. An increased amount of UV-B can also increase the amount of ozone produced at the lower atmosphere. While some plants can use this extra layer as a protective shield, other plants are highly sensitive to photochemical haze .
Ways to Control
Radioactive Pollution
Since radioactive pollution is highly hazardous to human health therefore prevention and control of radioactive pollution is important. The radioactive pollution can be controlled many ways which are as follows:
• Leakage from the
radioactive materials including the nuclear reactors, industries and laboratories need to be checked.
• The disposal of radioactive
material must be safe and secure.
• Radioactive materials must
be stored in safe places and must be changed into harmless form.
• The radioactive wastes with
a very low radiation must be put into the sewage.
• The nuclear power plants
must follow all the safety instructions.
• The protective garments
must be worn by the workers who work in the nuclear plants.
• The natural radiation must
be at the permissible limits.
• Nuclear devices should be
exploded under ground.
• Contaminants may be employed
to decrease the radioactive emissions.
• Production of radio
isotopes needs to be minimized.
• Extreme precautions should
be taken during the disposal of industrial wastes containing
radionuclides.
• High chimney and
ventilations should be used at working places where radioactive contamination
is high.
• In nuclear reactors, closed
cycle coolant system with gaseous coolants of very high purity may be used to
prevent extraneous activation products.
• Fission reactions need to
be minimized.
• In nuclear mines, wet
drilling may be employed along with underground drainage.