Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Radiation and its health effects
Radiation and its health effects
Radiation and its health effects
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Nuclear Waste Since the dawn of civilization, all living (and some non-living) things have needed energy. When humans discovered fire, the first form of harnessed energy, it made it easier to stay warm, prepare food, make weapons, etc. Since then, humankind has been inventing new ways to harness energy and use it to our advantage. Now-a-days, people in most nations depend extremely heavily on fossil fuels – to work, travel, regulate temperature of homes, produce food, clothing, and furniture, as well as other power industries. Not only are these fossil fuels dominating our society and creating economic vulnerability, but they also produce waste that causes a number of social and environmental concerns. The waste from these fuels leads to acid rain, smog, and climate change. It also releases sulfur dioxide as well as other air pollutants that are very harmful to the human respiratory system (Morris, 1999, p. ix). There are other alternative sustainable energy sources including solar, hydroelectric, wind, and biomass. However, the main source aside from fossil fuel is nuclear energy from controlled nuclear reactions (where nuclei of radioisotopes become stable or nonradioactive by undergoing changes) in a nuclear power plant. Nuclear power produces enormous amounts of energy to serve a community. Unfortunately, nuclear energy has its own set of problems – a big one being its waste. The spent fuel from nuclear plants is radioactive. This means that it emits radiation, or penetrating rays and particles emitted by a radioactive source. Ionizing radiation is known to cause cancer, and therefore makes anyone who lives near spent nuclear waste facilities vulnerable to this incurable disease. The disposal of nuclear waste is a global issue... ... middle of paper ... ...sh community, decreased biomass, and an altered balance between producers and consumers (para. 1). According to Lapp (1971), temperature changes in the water from the thermal pollution (taking cool water from bodies of water and replacing it with warm water following the cooling process in nuclear plants) can change the activities of species, for example the Bluefin crab, which could have detrimental effects on the whole ecosystem. However, an advantage of nuclear power to the environment is that nuclear waste is carefully disposed of and designed to stay away from the air humans breathe, the water humans drink, and the food humans eat (Morris, 1999, p. 36). On the other hand, this is not true for fossil fuels which pollute the air and water. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear waste does not produce harmful air pollutants such as ash, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases.
What Nuclear power has the ability to do is get a lot of power in a little amount of space. “Roughly 1.6 billion people live without access to electricity, and 2.4 billion rely on traditional biomass because they have no access to modern fuel.” (General Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei) With nuclear power put into these countries that are without power we can have it to where electricity will be accessibility to everyone. By having power accessible to everyone we can accomplish so much more and unlock more possibilities in our world today.
Radioactive Waste One of the most talked about opposition to nuclear fission is the radioactive waste it produces. Radioactive waste is what is left behind after using a reactor to make electricity. There are two levels of waste, low and high, but both are regulated by the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. High level waste is made up of fuel that’s been used directly in the reactor, which is highly radioactive but can still be disposed of. Low-level waste is the contaminated items that have been exposed to radiation.
There are many sources of energy today, and the best source of it is constantly being sought after, one source stands out above the rest. Nuclear energy is simple in theory, yet it may be one of the most controversial sources of power. Nuclear energy works using reactors built to split the atoms (nuclear fission) of the fuel to produce heat. This heat evaporates the cooling agent (usually water) into steam which turns turbines to create electricity. Nuclear energy should be allowed, because it produces an abundance of electricity, as well as being a clean source of energy with no harmful emissions. Nuclear energy is the future of clean, environmentally friendly energy.
After the first few days of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Americans, without knowledge of the aftermath of these cities, began cheering and celebrating as the bombings marked the end of World War II. Also, this event showed that Americans would be the ones who would lead the world into the nuclear age. In a Gallup Poll taken from August 10-15, 1945, Americans were asked whether or not they approved or disapproved of the use of atomic bombs on Japanese cities, 85 percent approved, ten percent disapproved and five had no opinion.30 then when asked if the development of the atomic bomb was a good or bad thing, 69 percent said it was a good thing, 17 percent said it was bad, and 14 percent had no opinion (Steele).
The use and management of radioactive materials is not a topic that is generally discussed in abundance to everyday citizens. Many people do not know what radioactive waste is or even the effect that it can have on the human body. Radioactive waste is a type of waste that has some type of radioactive material inside of it. The managing of this radioactive waste is extremely important because it can cause damage to living tissue. Without a place to properly dispose of or contain, the radioactive waste can contaminate our water, food, air, or even our land. If this happened it would be detrimental to all human’s health, causing many different problems throughout the world not only with the health of the population, but problems with the environment as well. Therefore it is vital that we have somewhere to put these radioactive wastes.
Nuclear energy has been a controversial source of alternative energy since it has been made practical in the 1950s. The goal of nuclear energy was to find a sustainable resource that would be able to replace the use of fossil fuels. Due to the exploitation and finite supply of resources such as oil and coal, an alternative to fossil fuels was needed quickly in order to provide sustainability for the future of the world. A question arises, however, when nuclear energy is considered as a source of energy: Is nuclear energy a reasonable alternative to fossil fuels?
One problem with gallium involves nuclear weapons and pollution. Gallium is used to hold some nuclear bomb pits together. However, when the pits are cut and plutonium powder is formed, the gallium remains in the plutonium. The plutonium then becomes worthless in fuel because the gallium is destructible to several other elements. If the gallium is removed, however, the plutonium then gets it’s worth back again.
Nuclear power has always been a controversial issue because of its inherent danger and the amount of waste that the plants produce. Once considered a relatively safe form for generating energy, nuclear power has caused more problems than it has solved. While it has reduced the amount of traditional natural resources (fossil fuels), used to generate power like coal, wood, and oil, nuclear generating plants have become anachronisms. Maintaining them and keeping them safe has become a problem of immense proportion. As the plants age and other technology becomes available, what to do with these “eyesores” is a consuming issue for many government agencies and environmental groups. No one knows what to do about the problem and in many areas of the world, another nuclear meltdown is an accident waiting to happen. Despite a vast array of safety measures, a break in reactor pipe or a leak in a containment vessel, could spell another environmental disaster for the world.
Uranium is an element that is part of the actinide series, is a solid at room temperature, and classified as a metal (Chemical Education). It was first discovered in 1789 by Martin Heinrich Klaproth (Chemistry). People believed the mineral was a mixture of ores of iron and zinc (Chemistry). In 1789 Klaproth realized that it contained an unknown metal (Chemistry). Uranium was given its name in honor of Uranus, which the world had recently discovered (Chemistry). Uranium can be found anywhere in the Earth’s crust, it is more common than tungsten, molybdenum, and beryllium (Chemistry). Uranium is a silvery-white metal, but it quickly oxidizes in the air, forming black coating (Chemistry). Uranium’s period number is seven, its atomic number is 92, and its atomic weight is 238.02891 (Chemical Education). Uranium’s melting point is 1408 K (1135ºC or 2075ºF), and its boiling point is 4404 K (4131ºC or 7468ºF) (Elemental).
The use of nuclear energy has increased in the United States since 1973. Nuclear energy's share of U.S. electricity generation has grown from 4 percent in 1973 to 19 percent in 1998. This is excellent news for the environment. Nuclear energy and hydropower are the cleanest large-scale means of electricity production. Since nuclear power plants do not burn fuel, they emit no combustion byproducts—like carbon dioxide—into the atmosphere (www.nei.org). Nuclear power can come from the fission of Uranium, plutonium or thorium or the fusion of hydrogen into helium. Today uranium (U-235 and U-238) is most commonly used in the production of nuclear energy. The expa...
Why is the Atomic Bomb one of the most important inventions created in the United States? According to research, the atomic bomb is considered an essential invention to have in a country due to its destructive power created by the fission of either plutonium or uranium. Countries across the world would use the atomic device against other countries in order to make advancements. The first atomic weapons that were built for warfare was known as the Little Boy and Fat Man. United States is the first country in history today to ever use the atomic bomb against another country, specifically in Japan on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the atomic bomb was well known for its destructive power, it also made significant social, economic, and ecological impact to the world. Additionally, even though the atomic bomb ended wars, it still, however, struck fear in peoples' hearts due to its radiation and destructive effects. United States invested billions of dollars on the development of the atomic bomb, which would be later known as the Manhattan Project. One of the long term effects of the atomic bomb was that it caused the nuclear arms race during the Cold War. This case study will first discuss why scientists developed the atomic bomb. Secondly, this paper will discuss the engineering of the atomic bomb and the problems that builders had while building it. Finally, this paper will compose of the financial, social, and economic effect of the atomic bomb.
Nuclear power plants help the environment. Power plants produce wetlands because it is built next to clean water sources. Some examples where wildlife benefits in wetland area: birds build nesting areas, new habitats for fish, and preservation for other wildlife like trees and flowers. Power plants are designed to keep animals like fish out of the water systems used by the plant. Screens are created to prevent fish from getting sucked into cooling water systems. Animals such as birds are able to thrive around power plant with no consequence...
The greatest disadvantages of nuclear energy are the risks posed to mankind and the environment by radioactive materials. ‘On average a nuclear plant annually generates 20 metric tons of used nuclear fuel cla...
Many countries in the developing world faces critical problem with regard to waste management. Waste refers to household solid waste and is defined as ‘any materials that currently have a negative value to their owner and are to be disposed of’ (Wray, 2000). Waste management is defined as the process of dealing with or controlling solid waste. Failure to adequately address the problem of waste management leads to escalating environmental and health problems.
Wastes are the products of our consumptions in our daily life routines such as lunch, work, school and other things we do. Little things such as throwing out a piece of paper, we are producing waste by the seconds. After we consume a product we usually throw out what’s left that can’t be consumed any further. Results in producing waste, substance that are born after it’s been use or consume by us. At the end of each day we throw out a bag full of garbage, all of the materials in that bag (paper towels, cans, leftover foods and many other material’s) all of these are waste. Hospitals produce medical waste such as use needles for treating patients. Corporations produce papers, plastics, tires, steels, cans and many other type of solid waste which contribute to the pollutions that cause health risk and other environmental issues.