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Nuclear Contamination

            Perhaps the most threatening type of pollution to the environment is nuclear contamination. Nuclear accidents are usually caused by an explosion, in a nuclear power plant, or when nuclear wastes are disposed of incorrectly. These accidents allow nuclear contaminates to escape and pollute the surrounding areas. Wildlife, vegetation, and humans are often affected by nuclear contamination. Even if a little bit of nuclear waste is exposed to the environment, it could destroy many living organisms. Humans do not necessarily have to be near an area where a nuclear accident has taken place in order to be affected by it. They could be many kilometers away and still get sick. This is mainly because nuclear contaminates don't stay in the same place. They have the ability to move throughout lengthy distances contaminating everything the radius. Once nuclear contaminates have entered an environment it is very difficult to control them. One solution that is commonly used in, where nuclear accidents have taken place is to just abandon the contaminated land.
             As stated above in the thesis paragraph, nuclear contamination is usually caused by careless accidents or malfunctions in nuclear power plants. These accidents usually occur because the people disposing of the nuclear waste lack the knowledge of proper disposal techniques or because the machinery, in the nuclear plants, is either too old or they were not inspected properly. Even the slightest error when handling nuclear waste could lead to an environmental disaster. For example, in Chelyabinsk, Russia, radioactive wastes were dumped into a river system spreading radioactive contaminates to 124,000 people living along the banks of the river. This incident could have been easily prevented, but instead it ended up practically destroying the environment. A second incident took place on September 29, 1957 in Russia. This time the cooling system, of a nuclear power plant, exploded allowing nuclear wastes to leak out into the environment.


Essays Related to Nuclear Contamination

1. Nuclear Waste

... or damage the facility. Leakage is a big problem, if nuclear waste would leak the surrounding area would then be classified as contaminated. Other variables which cannot be controlled include human error, Human error is always bound to happen, whether it be carelessness or just a miscalculation, this could also result in contamination or leakage, human error is main cause of loss of ... designed and in the 1960's and "70's. Waste containers have only been tested by computer or hand calculators. The two main dangers inherent in the burial of nuclear waste are air and water contamination. ...

  • Word Count: 2144
  • Approx Pages: 9

2. Nuclear Weapons and Their Effect on the Environment

... Stewardship. The SBSS program is a "basic need" to accomplish national security policies which command a "safe and reliable stockpile with further nuclear testing and aggressive pursuit of enhanced experimental capabilities" (Zerriffi, Hisham, and Arjun Makhijani). In this proposal, the Department of Defense entails the ... these types of military hardware could and would not harm us. Do not forget about the amount of contamination nuclear weapons produce as well. For years these nuclear weapons have been contaminating our environment by discharging harmful contaminants into the environ...

  • Word Count: 1273
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Nuclear waste

... 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 ... cancer or genetic effects. Waste containers have only been tested by computer or hand calculators. The two main dangers inherent in the burial of nuclear waste are air and water contamination. Air Contamination Water Contamination Underground w...

  • Word Count: 538
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Nuclear Power Plants and Reactors

... still exceeds 20,000 rems per hour. 5,000 rems will be cause immediate incapacitation and death just in one week. In U.S we have a total of 65 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 99 nuclear reactors in the U.S. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New ... was Chernobyl. Chernobyl was a Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. In April 26 of 1986, an explosion and fire released an ...

  • Word Count: 1292
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Nuclear Power In The 21 Century

... , and electricity.""(Chambers, 2000) In addition, Ritch told the assembled members of the agency that "Advanced nuclear reactors are the only technology on the horizon that offers a "realistic promise" of contributing substantially to global base load power needs without environmental contamination and climate change."(Chambers, 2000) However, there is still the problem of disposal of the large quantities of ... high-level waste that is generated by the fission process. Ritch has acknowledged that nuclear waste is the largest problem for the industry, with 150,000 tons of ... to develo...

  • Word Count: 1731
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Nuclear Energy and Environmental Issues

... uranium is mined, enriched, and moved to the plants, fossil fuels are emitted into the air[Nuc13]. Next is the amount of water a nuclear power plant must use in order to keep production going and high levels of heat at maintainable levels. The amounts of water plants use is initially ... then needs replace and is often dumped into surface areas again affecting aquatic life[Nuc13]. Along with water, the uranium mining plants can cause contamination from rainwater runoff into the ground and other surfaces areas. Finally every eighteen to twenty four months spent fuel needs replaced because ...

  • Word Count: 1045
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Nuclear Power

... environmental safety as well as human safety. Both of these power plants produce thermal energy, but that's where the similarities end. Nuclear power plants produce nuclear waste, which is radioactive and remains dangerous for thousands of years. Fossil fuels produce air pollution, which is responsible for acid rain ... is radioactive and is potentially dangerous, studies have shown that the nuclear power plant gives off less radiation than a coal-burning plant. The radioactive waste material can be disposed of in various locations where future contamination is highly unlikely. The NEI ...

  • Word Count: 837
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography

8. Nuclear Power

... partial meltdown occurred on March 28, 1979. Large amounts of radioactive noble gases were released to the containment atmosphere and environment. The resulting contamination led to a very expensive ten-year clean up plan. The first re-entry of the building took place in July of 1980. " ... of the concerns for Long Islanders was that Shoreham could be used as a bomb or would just spontaneously combust. The truth is that commercial nuclear power plants are designed to control fission reactions. The nature uranium fuel that are used in a commercial power plant make it chemically impossible...

  • Word Count: 1630
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Danger of the nuclear power exposure

... some benefits, it is better to think about the consequences of its use. The consequences of a major nuclear power accident are truly catastrophic. No other electricity generating system creates such risks. The accident that "could never happen", happened at Chernobyl in 1986, caused radioactive contamination to spread across the European continent. Chernobyl has caused and continues to cause health, environmental, economic and ... fissionable material is required to make a crude bomb, so I don't think that we have to risk in this matter. Another argument is about the cost of the nuclear ...

  • Word Count: 764
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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