Radioactive Pollution

Radioactive Pollution

Radioactive pollution can be defined as the release of radioactive substances or high-energy particles into the air, water, or earth as a result of human activity, either by accident or by design. The sources of such waste include: 1) nuclear weapon testing or detonation; 2) the nuclear fuel cycle, including the mining, separation, and production of nuclear materials for use in nuclear power plants or nuclear bombs; 3) accidental release of radioactive material from nuclear power plants. Sometimes natural sources of radioactivity, such as radon gas emitted from beneath the ground, are considered pollutants when they become a threat to human health.

Since even a small amount of radiation exposure can have serious (and cumulative) biological consequences, and since many radioactive wastes remain toxic for centuries, radioactive pollution is a serious environmental concern even though natural sources of radioactivity far exceed artificial ones at present.

The problem of radioactive pollution is compounded by the difficulty in assessing its effects. Radioactive waste may spread over a broad area quite rapidly and irregularly (from an abandoned dump into an aquifer, for example), and may not fully show its effects upon humans and organisms for decades in the form of cancer or other chronic diseases.

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