Radioactive waste

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Radioactive Waste is defined as being a waste material that contains chemical elements that are radioactive, without having a specific purpose. In most cases it is a product of nuclear processes and sees waste that is only slightly contaminated although different situations may appear.

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Sources

Several sources of radioactive waste can be mentioned:

  • Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) – By the processing of some substances with natural radioactivity NORM is generated.
  • Coal – Coal has in its composition small amounts of radioactive nuclides like thorium and uranium. Because of their incapability of burning properly the radioactive concentration rises in fly ash. Problems appear because the fly ash is freed in the atmosphere and it can reach humans by breathing them.
  • Mineral Processing
  • Gas and Oil – Radium can be found in most resides obtained from oil and gas industries. The most contaminated area in an oil processing plant is the location where propane is processed
  • Medicine – Radioactive medical waste usually contains beta ray or gamma ray emitters.
  • Industrial – Such radioactive waste can contain gamma, neutron, alpha and beta emitters.
  • Nuclear Weapons Production – In most cases, residue from such operations will contain just tritium. There is also the high possibility of alpha emitter presence to be recorded.
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Accidents

Several incidents have been noticed involving radioactive waste. The main cause behind them was the improper handling and simply forgetting about them. The worse incident recorded is known as the Goiânia accident. A special type of teletherapy equipment filled with caesium chloride was left behind when a hospital was abandoned. Thieves or just scavengers raided the building and smashed open containers. The glowing substance later proved to be highly radioactive and caused several deaths and radioactive poisoning. A fact has been pointed out by specialists: in many locations, especially in developing countries, the main cause of radiation exposure is the scavenging of abandoned facilities. The main people responsible are considered to be the owners of the radioactive material. Also, contrary to popular belief, incidents involving radioactive waste transportation are not probable to affect the population because it is usually spent nuclear fuel, which is not as powerful as other wastes.

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