Natural Radioactivity: Radon Is Ongoing Nuclear Decay

“The Nuclear Age,” written by Tim O’Brien, was a short story poorly known during the 1980’s. Tim O’Brien wrote this story during the late 1980’s sometime after he returned from the army. He wrote many of his stories to describe some of the things he saw and experienced in the army. “The Nuclear Age” was one of Tim O’Brien’s later stories that was not well received at the time it was published.

If a nuclear fallout were to occur, the earth would turn into a radiated wasteland. The earth would be essentially non-liveable, but it could be possible to survive. People, with the help of fallout shelters and bunkers, would be able to survive the initial attack and quite possibly live in the shelters until the radiation has dropped to a level in which they can survive.

For most living organisms, humans included, radiation is considered dangerous if it has the ability to ionize other molecules, as this damages the cells and molecules critical to survival. On the surface of the Earth, humans tend to experience radiation in the forms of alpha, beta, or gamma particles (8), or through ultraviolet waves. An alpha particle is a helium nucleus, consisting of two protons and two neutrons, a beta particle is an electron, and gamma particles are high energy and high speed energy packets (8).

Nuclear energy is becoming more and more common each and every day in America. This essay is on uranium/nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is extremely dangerous when not contained properly and it is highly radioactive. The ore most commonly used is called uranium. There are also many pros and cons to nuclear energy.

The main source of radiation exposure to human life is Radon( 222Rn ) and its progeny which represent nearly 50% of the total human exposure to radiation from natural sources.222Rn is a radioactive gas producing from decay of Radium( 226Ra ) which is found in a wide variety of rocks, soil, natural gas and ground water. Most water sources in the earth’s crust have different levels of Radon concentration depend on the local geological characteristic of the source. Radon gas enters into the human body by inhalation and ingestion of drinking water and eating food, subsequently cause damage to sensitive cells of organs in the body ,such as respiratory and digestion systems.

The World Nuclear Association has recorded that most of the earth receives about 1.5- 3.5 millisieverts of radiation a year. The Kerala and Madras States in India receive about 15 millisieverts a year, the highest naturally occurring rates anywhere on earth. This natural radiation is caused by sand that contains thorium, a radioactive element. Parts of Brazil and Sudan also receive large amounts of radiation, due to their geology. Natural radiation is safe, most of the time, and most of the radiation comes from rock, (even the granite in a counter top) or from space.

Radioactivity is defined as “the spontaneous emission of particles”. (Nuclear Energy). Radioactivity is caused by an unbalanced nucleus in the cell. This happens because there is either an uneven number of protons and/or neutrons. When this happens, the element is considered to have multiple isotopes. An isotope is an atom with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. Thus, they have different atomic weights. This is important to know because there is a such thing as a radioactive isotope. These elements just have additional energy, and they release radiation in different forms. “There are over 800 radioactive isotopes, some of which are natural and some synthetic.” (Helmenstine). Radioactive elements can be both artificial and natural. However, in medicine, most of them are more than likely synthetic, since they are the most popular types.

Radiation in the environment is widespread and a necessary process for the existence of life. We encounter it from natural sources like the sun or from modern technology such as computed tomography better known as CT scan, and nuclear power plants. Radiation from sunlight is essential but too much of it can be harmful, just as the use of radiation in CT scans. Computed tomography can provide lifesaving information about disease but can also cause disease.

Nuclear Power is one of the only energy producing technology that is held accountable for all wastes produced; note that, the cost of the waste is accounted for in capital cost. Nuclear power accumulates relatively minimal amounts of nuclear waste in volume as compared to fossil fuel generation that produces a large amount of waste and greenhouse gas emissions. The nuclear fuel waste produced is in part used as an energy source for a fast breeder reactor while the burners’ waste is fully disposed through waste management processes.

Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactors to release nuclear energy, and thereby generate electricity. The term includes nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion. Presently, the nuclear fission of elements in the actinide series of the periodic table produce the vast majority of nuclear energy in the direct service of humankind, with nuclear decay processes, primarily in the form of geothermal energy, and radioisotope thermoelectric generators, in niche uses making up the rest. Nuclear power stations, excluding the contribution from naval nuclear fission reactors, provided 13% of the world 's electricity in 2012. The share of the world 's primary energy supply, which refers to the

There are two types of radiation; particle and penetrating. Penetrating radiation or gamma radiation, can pass through human tissue and damages cell functions. After about 500 years, gamma radiation in nuclear fuel waste drops to low enough levels that it poses no real threat to humans (AECB, 1992). Particle radiation includes alphan and beta radiation. This type of radiation is given off by the longer lived radioactive substances. This means that the substances remain hazardous for many thousands of years. Neither these types can penetrate human tissue. However, they can affect cell function and therefore cause cancer if the radioactive substance has been ingested or inhaled

No radiation in every part of our lives. The radiation may occur naturally in the ground and can reach us from the radiation coming from the space around us . As well as the radiation can occur naturally in the water we drink , or in the soil , and construction materials ( radon from the ground and radioactive elements in the earth ) .

The word radiation means several things such as radio waves and light. When such types of radiation travel through substances, it can become charged electrically. When it is also in a tissue that is living, the ions that were produced by the radiation can affect biological processes (IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), n.d.). There are several ways people are exposed to radiation, including x-rays, “radiation used to diagnose diseases and for cancer therapy,” nuclear explosive testing that goes wrong, “small quantities of radioactive materials released into the environment from coal and nuclear power plants,” etc. (IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), n.d.). The radiation that is emitted from cell phones, X-ray machines, and nuclear power plants are very different. They are all energy, but the difference is that unlike the others, cell phones are not radioactive, and harms the body, unlike the others (Ornes, 2011).

Goal: Your task is to take on the role of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector, investigate the evidence of nuclear activities at a specific site in Iran, and write an informative report following the guideline that states your conclusion about whether Iran is in violation of the newly signed Nuclear Agreement.

Radiation is the reactions caused by kinetic energy passing from one place to another. Radiation has been part of the human environment since the existence of Earth. Some sources of radiation are natural. However, others are artificial. Terrestrial sources of radiation are natural and come from the earth. They originate from radioactive materials in the earth's crust. The sun's rays are also a natural form of radiation called cosmic rays. (Statkiewicz-Sherer, 2017). Artificial sources of radiation create Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) that are created by humans. EMF's could be hazardous to people who come in close contact with them. X-rays and gamma rays carry ionizing radiation and have the highest charge. Non-ionizing radiation also referred as mid frequency radiation found in devices people use every day. Low-frequency radiation found in household appliances, Television signals, and local wireless networks is also known as background radiation. (Electro Magnet Fields and Cancer, 2016).