Radiation Pollution and Case Studies

Radiation Pollution – Case Studies

Introduction

Radioactive substances like radium and uranium emit invisible radiations, which are in the form of alpha, beta and gamma particles. The increase in the levels of radiation in the earth’s atmosphere beyond the normal levels is called radiation pollution. The two main sources of radiation pollution are man- made and natural reasons

a) Man-made sources of radiation pollution are: -

Medical procedures like CAT Scan, X-Rays and radiation Therapy.
Production of nuclear energy in nuclear power plants and by industrial radiography.
Use of nuclear weapons like the nuclear bomb and atom bomb.
Use of radioactive elements in research laboratories.

b) Natural sources of radiation pollution are: -

Terrestrial radiations given out by elements in the earth’s surface like Radium, Uranium, etc.
UV rays from the sun.
Cosmic rays given from other heavenly bodies.

Main Environmental Pathways of Human Radiation Exposure

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There have been cases in which man-made activities have resulted in the large-scale increase in radiation levels and have had adverse effects on the people. Two of these cases are: -

Ural Mountains Nuclear Waste Disposal Problem- Near the southern Ural Mountains, in the Russian province of Chelyabinsk, there is a Soviet nuclear facility called the Mayak Chemical Combine. From June 1948, when the first Soviet nuclear reactor was started, until 1990, when the last of Mayak’s five reactors were shutdown, approximately 26,700 km2 of land was irradiated. The Combine contaminated the region to such an extent ...

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There have been cases in which man-made activities have resulted in the large-scale increase in radiation levels and have had adverse effects on the people. Two of these cases are: -

Ural Mountains Nuclear Waste Disposal Problem- Near the southern Ural Mountains, in the Russian province of Chelyabinsk, there is a Soviet nuclear facility called the Mayak Chemical Combine. From June 1948, when the first Soviet nuclear reactor was started, until 1990, when the last of Mayak’s five reactors were shutdown, approximately 26,700 km2 of land was irradiated. The Combine contaminated the region to such an extent that it is now known as the most polluted area on the Earth. The region received this title due to the Combine's continuous disregard for environmental and public safety. In fact, the amount of radioactive waste stored at and released by Mayak is enough to poison every square foot of the former Soviet Union.

The USSR during WWI was behind the USA in nuclear weapon production by 3 years and hence didn’t have enough time to gain experience in the nuclear field. In the rush for nuclear weapon production, overly simple methods of waste disposal were used. Cool water from the Techa River was pumped through the reactors as a coolant and after being used, was dumped back into the Techa River (it amounted to 2.6 billion feet between 1949 and 1956). The radiation in the surrounding areas was 100 times more than the normal levels. The government soon ordered the discontinuation of dumping of the waste in the river. A storage facility, Kystym was soon built where the nuclear wastes were stored for a year to reduce its radioactivity. In 1957, the cooling system in of the tanks failed leading to its explosion and subsequent deposition of 20 million Ci of radiation into atmosphere. The radiations formed a radioactive cloud, which extended over 5 miles and affected 270000 people spread over 23000 sq. km. Due to this explosion, agricultural productivity reduced and meat and dairy products were contaminated.

Also, while the storage was being built, the Lake Karachay was used as the dumping ground for irradiated water. At one time, there was 40km. layer of dark foam on the lake and held 100 times the amount of radiation than was released in the Chernobyl disaster. 1965 and 1966 were extremely dry years for the Chelyabinsk province and in 1967, many parts of the Karachay Lake evaporated to reveal a dense layer of radioactive sediments.

The Chernobyl Disaster - On April 26, 1986, at 1:23 A.M., an accident occurred during a test of a turbine generator on the Unit 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Ukraine. The accident resulted from an unauthorized test of one of the plant’s four reactors, the improper withdrawal of control rods and the inactivation of important safety systems—in violation of the operating rules. It caused the reactor to overheat, explode, and catch fire. Because the facility lacked an adequate containment structure, the damage to the reactor core and control building expelled large quantities of radioactive material into the atmosphere during the ensuing ten days. The impact of the radiation leak was enormous. It necessitated the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and farm animals from the surrounding area and resulting in radiation sickness and burns in more than two hundred emergency personnel and firefighters, thirty-one of whom were injured fatally. Studies in the affected areas showed that over a million people were exposed to the radiation and about 6000 newborns had thyroid cancer. The number of cases of leukemia also increased dramatically. The Russian government then built a huge concrete dome around the destroyed reactor to prevent any further radiations from escaping but the structure is not viable and strong enough. The government has decided to invest one billion dollars to improve the technology in the other nuclear reactors and to find a better solution to the problem at Unit 4.

Increased Radiation Dose Across Europe Chernobyl Unit 4 Nuclear Power Center

Effects of radiation on children, released because of the mishap at Unit 4

The above case studies are an eye opener to the world that till what extent any country can go to be in race to become super power nation and have total disregard to the human safety, pollution. Whether science is a boon or curse to the mankind is a topic of debate in true sense.

- By Anuj Shah