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Radioactive Pollution (EVS)
- 1. Radioactive Pollution & NuclearAccidents Labhesh Parakh Presented by – Presented on – 5th December, 2020; Saturday Bsc. Biotechnology (2020-21) Submitted to ~ Dr. Anil Kumar (Faculty of Life Sciences) Environmental Studies’
- 2. Overview ❑ Radiation ❑ Sourcesof radiation ❑ Types of radioactive pollution ❑ Toxicity & Effects ❑ Nuclear Energy ❑ Nuclear Hazard & Accidents ❑ Prevention ❑ Safety measures
- 3. ✓ Introduction Radioactive pollution •Emission of high energy particles or radioactive substances into air, water or land due to human activities in the form of radioactive waste. Cause • Addition of radiation to environment by using radioactive elements.
- 4. ✓Radiation Radiation, that isgiven off by nuclear waste is extremely damaging to organisms because it causes mutations at a very high rate. At high doses, nuclear radiation is lethal but even at low doses, it is Carcinogenic. Therefore, nuclear waste is an extremely potent pollutant & has to be dealt with utmost caution.
- 5. ✓ Sources ofradiation • Cosmic Radiation • Terrestrial Radiation • Internal Radiation Natural sources • Nuclear Weapons • Mining Of Radioactive Ore • Medical Waste • Nuclear Power Plants • Industrial Radiography Artificial sources
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- 7. Man – MadeSources Of Radiation • Medical waste: A no. of radioactive isotopes are used in medicine either for treatment or diagnostics. These can be left to decay over a short period after which they are able to be disposed off as normal waste. • Mining of radioactive ore: Mining these involves crushing & processing of the radioactive ores and this generates radioactive waste which emits α-particles.
- 8. Types of radioactivepollution This type of condition exists in uranium mines, nuclear reactors & laboratories where the humans are under continuous exposure to radioactive contaminants. Continuous This type of condition exists during accidental exposure to radiations by virtue of equipment failure, radiation leak, faulty protective equipment, etc. Accidental This condition exists during isolated experiment or test of nuclear weapon / substance. Occasional
- 9. ✓ Toxicity &Effects ❖ The impact of radioactive pollution on human beings can vary from mild to fatal; the magnitude of adverse effects largely depends on the level & duration exposure to radioactivity. ❖ Low levels of localized exposure may only have a superficial effect and cause mild skin irritation ❖ Long – term exposure or exposure to high amounts of radiation can have far more serious health effects. ❖ Radioactive rays can cause irreparable damage to DNA molecules and can lead to a life – threatening condition.
- 10. ✓Toxicity & Effects •Radioactive substances are among the most toxic substances known. • Marie Curie, The Nobel Laureate for discovery of radioactivity in 1903, became the victim of radioactive pollution & died of leukemia. • The effect of radioactive pollution was noted in the early 20th century (1909). • The minor who were working in uranium mines suffered from skin burn & cancer.
- 11. Brief History: ✓Nuclear Energy Initially,nuclear energy was hailed as a non – polluting way for generating electricity. Later on, it was realised that the use of nuclear energy has two serious inherent problems: I. Accidental leakage II. Safe disposal of Radioactive wastes ▪ Nuclear energy was first discovered by Enrico Fermi. ▪ The first nuclear bombs were built in 1945 as a result of the infamous “Manhattan Project”. ▪ The first plutonium bomb was code – named Trinity, was detonated on July 16, 1945 in New Mexico. ▪ On August 6, 1945 ; The first uranium bomb was detonated over Hiroshima. Three days later, a plutonium bomb was dropped over Nagasaki. ▪ There were over 200,000 deaths associated with these detonations. ▪ Electricity wasn’t produced with nuclear energy until 1951.
- 12. ➢ Nuclear PowerPlants • A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. • As in a typical thermal power station, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces electricity • Nuclear power plants under current standards produce “permissible” levels of radioactive pollution due to safety precautions that must be adhered to. • Accidents at these power plants can cause dangerously high levels of radioactive pollution, such as in the case of Chernobyl, Three – mile Island (U.S.) & recently in Fukushima (Japan)
- 13. Some Accidental Cases ❑Almost 99 such nuclear accidents have been reported throughout worldwide. ❑ 56 of them have been only reported in United States. Chernobyl Disaster
- 14. ✓ Nuclear Accidents Chernobyl,Ukraine (former Soviet Union) – April 26, 1986 {INES Level – 7} Kyshtym, Russia (former Soviet Union) – September 29, 1957 {INES Level – 6} Fukushima, Japan – March 11, 2011 {INES Level – 7} Three – Mile Island, United States – March 28, 1979 {INES Level – 5}
- 15. Nuclear Hazards Radioactive pollutionthat is spread through earth’s atmosphere is called Fallout. The best example of fallout is; Nuclear Bomb attacks on Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 by U.S. during WW-II Radioactive waste is usually the product of a nuclear process such as nuclear fission, which is extensively used in nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons & other nuclear fuel – cycles.
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- 18. ✓ Prevention ofRadioactive Pollution Prevention of leakage of radioactive elements from the nuclear reactors. Waste Disposal must be careful, efficient & effective. Regular monitoring & quantitative analysis through frequent sampling in the risk prone areas. Global Understanding about nuclear exposure.
- 19. In nuclear reactors, closedcycle coolant system with gaseous coolants of very high purity may be used to prevent extraneous activation products. Fission reactions should be minimised. In nuclear mines, wet drilling may be employed along with underground drainage. Nuclear medicines & Radiation therapy should be applied only when absolutely necessary and earth minimum doses.
- 20. o While nuclearpower cannot substitute fossil fuel entirely and become the sole sustainable energy resource, it can play a significant role in decarbonizing the production of electricity. o Although we face significant challenges that are constraining the prospects for further development, nuclear power should be developed as a potential carbon – free energy resource in order to eliminate future problems of climate change & other environmental concerns.
- 21. “There are sufficientresources to satisfy a man’s need, but not enough to satisfy everyone’s greed”. ~Mahatma Gandhi