Radioactive Pollution | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

For instance, radioactive iodine-131, while short-lived, may leave those who ingest it with long-term health problems. By the time a radioactive leak is revealed and a health survey is carried out, many of the individuals affected by the leak may have already moved from the area (or died without having been examined with the possible cause in mind). In addition, since most radioactive materials are under the jurisdiction of governmental agencies—usually in the secretive defense and military establishments—the dumping activities and accidental discharges that accompany nuclear materials production and bomb testing tend to remain concealed until governments are obligated to disclose them under public pressure.

Atmospheric Pollution

Radioactive pollution that is spread through the earth's atmosphere is termed fallout. Such pollution was most common in the two decades following World War II, when the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain conducted hundreds of nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere. France and China did not begin testing nuclear weapons until the 1960s and continued atmospheric testing even after other nations had agreed to move their tests underground.

Three types of fallout result from nuclear detonations: local, tropospheric, and stratospheric. Local fallout is quite intense but short-lived.

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