What is Radioactive pollution ?
Nuclear energy is very clean because after its reaction which is splitting of atoms, it doesn't release pollutants into our atmosphere such as CO2. Nuclear energy is also known to have reduced amounts of green house gas emissons of CO2 for about 500 million metric tons of carbon.
As clean as Nuclear energy is, the waste generated from a nuclear reaction which is a form of pollution is called radioactivity. Radioactivity is a form of radiation which travels through space. Radioactivity is emitted when a radioactive element becomes unstable and begins to decay to regain its molecular stability.
When an element decays it emits energy and small particles. The time it takes for each element to decay depends on the element. It can take as much as 4.5 years for Uranium to decay where as Iodine can decay in 8 days.
So there are three types of radiation which effect us the most. These are Alpha (can be blocked), Beta (penetrate
human skin) and Gamma (damage cells).
As clean as Nuclear energy is, the waste generated from a nuclear reaction which is a form of pollution is called radioactivity. Radioactivity is a form of radiation which travels through space. Radioactivity is emitted when a radioactive element becomes unstable and begins to decay to regain its molecular stability.
When an element decays it emits energy and small particles. The time it takes for each element to decay depends on the element. It can take as much as 4.5 years for Uranium to decay where as Iodine can decay in 8 days.
So there are three types of radiation which effect us the most. These are Alpha (can be blocked), Beta (penetrate
human skin) and Gamma (damage cells).
