HUMAN AND POLLUTION

                                                                           

 Based on title, human is the main causes of pollution. Don’t you agree.  

Think about it.

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 BIKINI ATOLL   

                                                                                                                   

 THE ROCKY FLATS NUCLEAR PLANT 

        

THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI             
                         

                                         

THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

             

 THE SOURCE OF RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION

 Radioactive pollution is increasing by using  of radioactivity materials . It occurs mostly from the waste products that are left behind after the use of radioactive substances. Radioactive waste is usually the product of a nuclear process such as nuclear fission, which is used largely in nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons and other nuclear fuel-cycles. Radioactive wastes are disposed by without any precautionary measures to isolate the emissions which then contaminate the air, soil and water. The large amount of radioactive waste is generated from nuclear reactors used in nuclear power plants and for many other purposes. It occurs during Extraction and Refining of the radioactive material. Nuclear Accidents and Nuclear Explosions are the two worst man-made sources of radioactive pollution .

Here are the major sources where radioactive wastes are generated and are responsible for radioactive pollution

·        

            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.                                                                           

·        
        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.

 Effects of Radioactive Pollution on Human Health

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

of radiation and the flexibility of the organism. Radiation causes molecules to lose electrons thus destroying it. Killing certain enzymes in the body can simply make you sick. However, once radiation damages DNA the body may not be able to repair itself. This can increase the chances of both animals and humans developing cancer. According to the US Department of Energy, after two nuclear explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, survivors experience higher cases of cancer and child deformities. The nuclear explosions are examples of high levels of radiation. However, low doses of radiation can kill germs and decrease the number of food poisoning cases.

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. 

• Nuclear medicines and radiation therapy should only be applied when absolutely           necessary.

CONClUSION

In a nutshell, radioactive pollution adversely affects the human health often leading to death, hence it is the most dangerous form of pollution among all pollution types. Since the radiation effects the genetic material therefore the defects caused are transmitted from parents to offspring. Hence prevention and control of radioactive pollution is inevitable to avoid its harmful effects on the human health.