Background

One of the environmental problems is caused by radioactive contamination, which can contaminate water and the marine environment. Radioactive waste is a type of waste which contains radioactive chemical elements or isotopes with unstable nuclei with excessive energy. They are so named because they do not have any practical purpose. Radioactive waste in the form of solids, liquids or gases can be produced during nuclear processes. However, many industries other than the nuclear ones also create large amounts of radioactive waste a year.

Sign warning about radioactive materials in the area will look something like this(above)

A pellet of Plutonium-238 a byproduct of nuclear fission reactors(below). Photo courtesy of the United States Department of Energy

Hazards of nuclear waste

Radioactive nuclear waste, which usually has high toxicity, stays radioactive for thousands of years, meaning that radioactive waste which is disposed of will not only affect us, but our future generations as well. Although most of the radioactive waste currently being produced contain low levels of toxicity per unit mass, they are still dangerous if someone is exposed to it continuously. Currently, large amounts of radioactive waste are being continuously released into the environment, which means that we are leaving a poisoned planet to our future generations. Even if the waste is not released into the environment, its method of disposal assures that it will continue to stay in our environment for a long time.The current method for disposal of radioactive waste which requires shielding is to bury the less

radioactive material in shallow repositories while the more radioactive ones are stored in deep underground facilities. This ensures that even if the wastes cannot be disposed of immediately, the public will be protected from it. Even though many steps are taken to dispose of radioactive waste carefully, the fact that they are being released into our environment still exists. Often, during the transportation of radioactive waste to disposal facilities, trucks containing these wastes lose control and crash, thus causing them to be released into the environment. If the waste is released into the forests or lakes and not on the roads, major problems will be caused. The trees in the forest may be killed due to exposure to these wastes, while the releasing of radioactive waste into lakes will cause contamination of the water. This contamination will then cause the marine life to die and people may also die of water poisoning if they drink the poisoned water.

Locations where nuclear waste can be found

Other than industries, radioactive waste is also produced naturally by natural resources. Coal contains traces of radioactive material. Thus, when it is burnt, the fly ash created from the burning of coal ends up being released into the environment where it is inhaled by people. Nuclear fallout, which is the term used to describe a nuclear explosion distributing radioactive particles, can even reach the stratosphere if the explosive force is enough to propel it far enough.One of the reasons why radioactive contamination is extremely dangerous is due to the fact that it can exist on dry land, in the sea, and even in the air. This means that no one is safe from it no matter where they are, whether they be out driving on the roads, fishing out at sea, or even flying in the sky. However, contamination on dry land may be removed manually. Contamination itself comes in different levels. Low level contamination consists of isotopes with a short half-life, which means that the best way to get rid of it would be to leave it to decay on its own. High level contamination is much more dangerous in the sense that it means that either a large amount of radioactive material has been released, or the isotopes have a long half-life, thus posing major health threats to the public for many years to come till they decay completely.