Nuclear Radiations

>low-level radioative waste is disposed in landfill.

>high-level radioactive waste is encased in glass inside stainless steel containers and buried deep in the ground.

>some radioactive waste can be reprocessed into new and useful radioactive material.

nuclear power stations don't produce smoke or carbon dioxide. They do produce radioactive waste. this waste is harmful.

there are three main types of nuclear radiation~

alpha

beta

gamma

radiation from radioactive resources causes ionisation.

in ionisation the radiation changes the structure of any atom exposed to the radiation.

cells in our bodies are made up of atoms so radiation can change our cells.

underground burial sites for radioactive waste should not be built near earthquake prone zones because if an earthquake were too occur with all of that radioactive waste then it would explode everywhere and it may touch atoms and the atoms will change.

advantages

>fossil fuel reserves arent used.
>no pollution or greenhouse gases are discharged into the atmosphere.

disadvantages

>high cost of maintenance and of dismantling old nuclear power stations.
>risk of incidents similar to the one in Fukishima, Japan
>need of careful disposal of radioactive waste.

remember:
being exposed to radioactivity doesn't make you radioactive.

did you know?
nuclear power provides 18%  of the UK's energy needs. In France it provides almost 70%!

Radiation can be absorbed by substances in its path.

The thicker the substance, the more the radiation is absorbed. The three types of radiation penetrate materials in different ways.

• >Alpha radiation can be stopped by a sheet of paper.
• >Beta radiation can penetrate air and paper, but is stopped by a few millimetres of aluminium.
• >Gamma radiation can only be stopped by a few centimetres of lead, or many metres of concrete.

uses of alpha radiation:

Ionisation is useful for smoke detectors.

uses of beta radiation:

Beta radiation is used to monitor the thickness of

materials.

uses of gamma radiation:

Gamma radiation is used in the treatment of cancer,

testing equipment and sterilising medical instruments.