Danger from Radioactive Materials

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DANGER FROM RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS:

Protecting yourself:

Radioactive sources must be stored safely in a labelled lead box

Keep exposure time short

NO SKIN CONTACT

Working with nuclear radiation:

Industrial nuclear workers wear full protective suits = prevents tiny radioactive particles being inhaled/lodging on skin/under fingernails etc.

Use of lead-lined suits & thick lead screens shield workers from gamma rays (alpha & beta are stopped much more easily)

Remote-controlled robot arms to carry out tasks in HIGHLY radioactive areas

Disposing of radioactive waste:

Low-level waste can be disposed of why burying in secure landfill sites

High-level waste stays highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years - MUST BE TREATED VERY CAREFULLY

Sealed into GLASS BLOCKS, which are sealed in METAL CANNISTERS - then buried deep underground

Site of burial must be geologically stable (eg. not earthquake-prone) as movements could disturb the canisters = allows material to LEAK OUT

Radioactive ---> groundwater - contaminates soil, plants, rivers etc. gets into drinking water

People nearby often object - most high-level waste is kept on-site at power stations

Not ALL radioactive waste is chucked out - some is reprocessed

Radioactive waste could be a target for terrorists - could use stolen radioactive waste

Strict regulations about how waste is disposed of