Radioactive pollution can come from natural sources like cosmic rays and radioactive elements in the Earth's crust, or from human sources such as nuclear weapons testing, nuclear power plants, medical use of radioisotopes, and improper disposal of radioactive waste. Exposure to radiation can cause both immediate effects like hair loss and long term effects like cancer. All living things are vulnerable but some organisms preferentially accumulate specific radioactive materials. Control of radioactive pollution requires safe containment and storage of wastes, along with preventative measures to limit radiation exposure.

2. Definition of Radio Active Pollution
• Radioactive pollution, also called radiological
contamination, is the deposition of, or
presence of radioactive substances on
surfaces or within solids, liquids or gases
(including the human body), where their
presence is unintended or undesirable.

3. Sources of Environmental Radiation
• Natural (Background) Radiation:
• This includes cosmic rays that reach the
surface of the earth from space and terrestrial
radiations from radioactive elements present
in the earth’s crust.
• Many radioactive elements such as radium
224, uranium 235, uranium 238, thorium 232,
radon 222, potassium 40 and carbon 14 occur
in rocks, soil and water.

4. Man-made Radiation
• This includes mining and refining of plutonium
and thorium production and explosion of nuclear
weapons, nuclear power plants, nuclear fuels and
preparation of radioactive isotopes.
• Production of nuclear weapons involves the tests
of nuclear arms. These tests produce large
amount of radioactive elements into the
environment and make other materials also
radioactive. They include strontium 90, cesium
137, iodine 131 and some others.

5. Atomic Reactors and Nuclear Fuels
• Wastes from atomic reactors also contain
radioactive materials. The biggest problem is
the disposal of these radioactive wastes. If
these wastes are not properly disposed off,
can harm the living organisms wherever they
may be dumped. Inert gases and halogens
escape as vapours and cause pollution as they
settle on land or reach surface waters with
rain.

7. Radioisotopes
• Many radioactive isotopes such as 14C. 125I, 32P
and their compounds are used in scientific
research. Waste waters containing these
radioactive materials reach water sources like
rivers through the sewers. From water they
enter human body through food chains.

8. X-rays and Radiation Therapy
• Human beings also voluntarily receive
radiation from diagnostic X-rays and radiation
therapy for cancer.
• People working in power plants, nuclear
reactors, fuel processors or living nearby are
vulnerable to radiation exposure.

9. Effects of Radioactive Pollution
• Radiations have both immediate or short-
range and delayed or long-ranged effects.

10. (i) Short Range (Immediate) Effects
• They appear within days or a few weeks after
exposure. The effects included loss of hair,
nails, subcutaneous bleeding, change in
number and proportion of blood cells,
changed metabolism, and proportion of blood
cells, etc.

11. (ii) Long Range (Delayed) Effects
• They appear several
months or even years
after the exposure. The
effects are caused by
development of genetic
changes, mutations,
shortening of life span,
formation of tumour,
cancers, etc. The effect
of mutations can persist
in the human race.

12. Cont…
• All organisms are affected by radiation
pollution. Some organisms preferentially
accumulate specific radioactive materials. For
example, oysters accumulate 65Zn, fish
accumulate 55Fe, marine animals
accumulate 90Sr.

13. Control of Radioactive Pollution
The following preventive measures should be
followed to control radioactive pollution.
• Leakage of radioactive materials from nuclear
reactors, industries and laboratories using them
should be totally stopped.
• Radioactive wastes disposal must be safe. They
should be changed into harmless form or stored
in safe places so that they can decay in a
harmless manner. Radioactive wastes only with
very low radiation should be discharged into
sewerage.

14. Cont…
• Preventive measures
should be taken so that
natural radiation level
does not rise above the
permissible limits.
• Safety measures should
be taken against accidents
in nuclear power plants.

15. Cont….
• There is no full proof method of disposal of
radioactive wastes.
• In many cases radioactive wastes are sealed in
steel drums and sunk into sea for their natural
decay.

16. Cont….
• But it poses serious problems as radioactive
isotopes can produce not only immediate
effects on living organisms but also produce
mutations in genetic material which could
have serious problems for later generations.
• Malformation of body organs at birth,
abnormality in organ development are some
of the effects observed in lab animals.