Natural Radioactivity: Radon Is Ongoing Nuclear Decay

Radiation (also known as nuclear radiation) refers to particles or waves emitted by radioactive substance. Nuclear radiation comes from the waves from a nucleus. Ionising radiation can

When people hear about radioactive isotopes, they wonder where the isotopes come from. The non-radioactive version of cobalt (Cobalt-59) occurs naturally in various minerals (2). It also occurs naturally in the air, water, soil, rocks, plants, and animals (6). Humans even have cobalt in their body, but this is a very small amount. The body contains 1.5 mg of Cobalt-60 and the liver is the principal organ of where a person can find it (1). Some isotopes are made naturally and some are made unnaturally. Radioactive Cobalt-60 is not naturally made. It is formed when cobalt-59 is collided by a neutron making it the radioactive isotope (3).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

For many years, the government has been faced with the mounting dilemma that is being caused by nuclear waste. This radioactive material is a byproduct of nuclear reactors, hospital, processing plants, and research facilities. Since the use of nuclear power began, the wastes have been transported and kept from the public successfully but there are a large percentage of people that believe this industry needs to come to a halt until a solution has been devised for its disposal. There is a major concern that the long term containment plants and current burial grounds are not adequate solutions; this is due to the risk of potential environmental disturbances. When these substances are not disposed of properly, they can cause a multiplicity of dangers such as cancer and destruction of the ecosystem. The most effective methods for the elimination of nuclear waste are building more reliable burial sites, turning the byproduct into electricity, transmuting these toxins into glass that can be handled normally and constructing launchers to send the most noxious substances into outer space.

Radiation has been an ever present ingredient in the evolution of life on the Earth. It is not something new, invented by the ingenuity of man in the technological age, it has always been there.

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.

Radiation exposure can cause birth defects, cancer, and in extreme cases, death. The extent of the damage caused depends on the radioactivity of the substance as well as the length of exposure. The length of time that a certain type of waste is dangerous depends on the half-life of each isotope in the waste. During the process of radioactive decay, energy is released as the nucleus of a radioactive isotope (the “parent”) is changed into that of another isotope (the “daughter”). This radioactive decay from parent to daughter continues until the original parent isotope changes into a stable, non-radiactive isotope. Throughout the process, energy is released in the form of energetic particles or rays. Hence, in a sample of uranium, the parent uranium isotopes are constantly decaying until the sample consists of only lead, the final daughter isotope in the uranium decay series. It takes a very long time for all the uranium to decay completely to lead, the half-life of the uranium isotope uranium-238, for example, is 4.5 billion years.

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

a) Natural background radiation comes from the natural sources like radioactive substances in the soil, radioactive gases given off from the earth such as radon, Very small amounts of radioactivity in the body, and Cosmic rays from the solar system (the sun, stars and outer space)

gradually travels away from the Earth. A chronic radiation exposure is the most accurate term to describe the level of radiation astronauts have to undergo in the

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).