High level nuclear waste (HLW) must be handled remotely as direct exposure to the radioactive waste would provide a lethal dose within seconds.
High level waste can stay radioactive for up to 250 thousand years.
Another form of nuclear waste is Intermediate level waste (ILW), ILW can be anything from High Level Waste in diluted form to 'chemical process residues.
There is also Low Level Waste. Low Level Waste Contains low levels of beta and gamma radiation emitters and low levels of alpha emitters. LLW is produced from many phases of the nuclear power and weapons industry, but also from medical and industrial applications. Anything coming into contact with radioactive material can be considered Low Level Waste. .
Risks.
Ionising radiation is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that extends from ultraviolet radiation to cosmic rays. This type of radiation releases high energy particles that damage cells and DNA structure, producing mutations, impairing the immune system and causing cancers. One estimate puts the number of workers who have died of lung cancer and silicosis due to mining and milling alone at 20,000.
There are certain risks that are associated with relatively large exposures to ionizing radiation. The potential effects of radiation are dependent on the amount of radiation dose received. The potential risks are:.
• An increase in the probability of getting cancer. .
• An increase in the probability of birth defects due to exposure during pregnancy. .
• A theoretical increase in genetic effects occurring in later generations. This is theoretical because these effects have not been shown in human beings exposed to radiation, only laboratory animals. Even those individuals exposed to the atomic weapon explosions in Japan have shown no evidence of genetic defects. .
Dumping.
RISKS WHILE DUMPING.
While dumping the nuclear waste there may be too many variables that can be controlled.