The Natural Radioactivity Of Soil Samples

Lutgens, F. K. & Tarbuck, E. J. (2011). Foundations of earth science (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice

Radium appears as a shiny, silvery metal of high radioactivity. Radium can be “used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to the bones,” and in the past, it was “used in luminous paints, for example in clock and watch dials” (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017). Radium is present in the environment, and people that live in areas where coal or other fuels are burning and released into the air are more exposed to higher levels of radium. Radium can enter the body by breathing or swallowing and can remain in the body for months, only exiting in small amounts by urine and feces (“Public Health Statement for Radium,” 1990). High levels of radium exposure over a long period of time are extremely dangerous to the health of an individual. The harmful effects of radium could cause “anemia, cataracts, fractured teeth, cancer (especially bone cancer), and death” (“Public Health Statement for Radium,” 1990). The greater amount of radium exposure an individual receives, the greater their chance is to developing one of these diseases (“Public Health Statement for Radium,”

The city of Waukesha was “pleased to report” that their water tested negative for everything but Radium and Gross Alpha. Radium is element number 88 on the periodic table and from the name, you can guess that this element is highly radioactive and can be very harmful to the human body. For starters, if radium is ingested and absorbed into the cells and tissues, it can and will start to deteriorate the surrounding tissues. Specifically, radium may cause problems in the immune system including anemia. Radium can cause cataracts and fractured teeth (from breaking down tissue, including bone tissue). High levels of radium have also been known to cause an increased risk in bone, liver, and breast cancers. Gross Alpha is a type of radiation that is released when any naturally occurring radioactive element changes to produce a “decay product”, such as radium. These decay products are formed after billions of years. Alpha radiation is everywhere, in our soil, air, and in our water. This is because or earth’s bedrock consists of varying amounts of radioactive elements. The alpha radiation also varies in our water, due to the water in deep aquifers or wells touching the bedrock; the water may contain the same or less than the same amount of elemental decay. Alpha radiation in drinking / ground water can be in the form of dissolved minerals, or as a gas

It is now known that radium, shown in figure 4, is a potent carcinogen (a substance the cause’s cancer (Wilbraham, Staley, Marta, & Waterman, 2005)). It emits a form of ionizing radiation which “includes electromagnetic radiation (e.g., gamma rays and X-rays) as well as particles (e.g., alpha particles, beta particles, high-speed neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons, etc.)” (National Library of Medicine, n.d.). Acute studies have been done on the effects of radium exposure on the human body by organizations like the Geneva World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Man. As a result of their findings, The National Library of Medicine states that sufficient evidence has been provided showing that prolonged exposure to Raduim-224, Radium-226,

The average annual radiation dose received by Americans is 360 millirems (or "mrems"), about 300 of which come from naturally occurring sources like radon. By contrast, you would get only 0.01 mrems per year as a result of living 50 feet from a nuclear power plant. Even a single annual cross-country airplane flight exposes you to 3 mrems, while a medical X-ray gives you a dose of 20 mrems.

The radioactive elements and huge concentration of salt that is injected into the shale rocks concerns the nation because they’ve seen cases to when those chemicals have found their way into our water and even our air. In results of this problem- biology professor Robert Jackson, discusses in Source D- how he, along with some researchers, analyze two hundred private wells of residents in

The 1940’s was a decade of war, countries sought new ways to bring the most destruction to enemies with as little resources as possible. Soon enough, by the second half of the decade, weapons with nuclear power were in demand, and the United States was no different. As early as 1946, the United States began a series of nuclear bomb tests in an area just to the northeastern edge of Australia in the Pacific Ocean called the Marshall Islands. Unfortunately, the United States didn’t account for the radioactive fallout that would could affect the islands, more specifically, Bikini Atoll, and the inhabitants of those islands. As a result of the fallout affecting Bikini Atoll and other surrounding islands, these nuclear bomb testing grounds have become significant to the field of radiology by providing an example of how radiation affects land and

The A simple definition of the word radioactiveis to have or develope a strong and dangerous form of energy. This could also be named radiation. A radioactive substance incvolves a very harmful form of energy that is developed betwen nuclear reactions. In the book "The Radioactive Boyscout" by ken Silversteint, there are several examples of radioactive substances being produced. The main character in the book is very as the title says "radioactive"

Nuclear waste is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process and the operation of nuclear power plants. One of the most common radioactive isotopes found in nuclear waste is plutonium-239, which is capable of causing cancer-related fatalities for millions of people in very small amounts. Other isotopes include iodine-129, cesium-137, and uranium-238, all of which are highly radioactive and have half-lives in the tens of

Over the next several years, (during the 1920s) many of the factory workers became very ill and exhibited symptoms such as severe anemia, extreme joint pain, and disintegrating jaws (Carter, 2007, p. 2). Radium is an incredibly unstable element, and thus it has a very short half-life. A half-life is the time it takes for half the original amount of the element to decay to another element, and because Radium-226 (its most common isotope) has a half life of only 1600 years, it is highly radioactive . Additionally, radium’s chemical properties resemble those of calcium, so when the young factory workers ingested the element, it made its way into their bones, where it would then decay and release alpha particles (large particles emitted from helium atoms), gamma rays (high speed light radiation) and beta particles (fast moving electrons) into nearby bones (Quigley, 2002). This ultimately caused extreme bone decay, as well as bone cancers in many instances. Because of this, radium can be classified as a carcinogen. Although alpha particles are not strong enough to penetrate flimsy substances such as paper, they are dangerous when ingested because tissue inside the body can receive high levels of ionizing radiation. As this reaction is taking place, alpha particles are being emitted as a helium atom gains two new protons (thus increasing its atomic number), and the atom’s mass subsequently increases by

There are many different types of nuclear energy. Radon is a radioactive element (Rn) that is incredibly dangerous. This toxic element has an atomic number of 86 and an atomic weight of 222. Radon is odorless and a colorless gas, but can also be a transparent liquid or a solid. Radon can be used in cancer treatment and spas for medical treatment. However, Radon is known as the second leading cause to lung cancer and exposure to Radon in your home can be deadly. It is incredibly important to test for Radon in your home because it is not always evident when it is there.

Radon Gas is a rising issue in our daily lives, as it is emerging to become a problematic issue globally. Radon is an odorless, colourless gas that can be harmful to both adults and children. The gas enters your house through the ground and it is made from the breakdown of uranium in the soil (Health Canada). The gas has a concentration in the winter compared to other times in the year (Government of Canada). The amount of radon in your house also depends on 3 other factors. These 3 factors are how much uranium is in the ground near your house, how well your home is ventilated and the amount of entry points(Government of Canada). However, there are ways to prevent it from entering your home. The gas emerges from the ground and enters your body when you

In an effort to address the issue of radio frequency radiation exposure in this community, we will provide a background on the sources of radio frequency radiation as well as the known and suspected health effects. We will also proposed two epidemiological studies and discuss risk management and

There are many advantages and disadvantages to the use of radioactive elements in medicines. Some advantages include the fact that

The inorganic metals that often plague brownfields include arsenic, cadmium, zinc, nickel and copper. However, the bioavailability of other problematic metals such as lead and chromium are very low and require more advanced resources and strategies in order to be extracted. In addition to these toxic metals, it has been suggested that phytoextraction techniques can be used to remove radionuclides that exist in sites with mixed wastes. Radionuclide refers to any element that emits radiation and that can cause cancer through drinking water that it contaminates. In addition to the environmental and health concerns that brownfields pose, there are also many sociological impacts associated with them.