Minds Weapon

,Sources of , Types of, Methods of exposure to, Health risks from, radioactive contamination, Increased risk of cancer, Damage to the cells

Radioactive pollution

Radioactive Contamination is defined as one of the forms of pollution resulting from the emission of radioactive materials into the environment by accident, by nature, or as a result of wars , which exposes people to danger and contaminates their surroundings and personal property. The surface of objects or inside them, and all elements of the environment , such as air, water, soil, plants, and surfaces in general, buildings, people, and even animals, become contaminated if they are exposed to radioactive materials and appear on or inside their surface.

Exposure to radiation differs from radioactive pollution, and radiation or radioactive materials are defined as one of the forms of energy that travels through waves or particles, and exposure to radiation means that this energy or materials penetrate the body and pass through it, and it does not remain on the surface of the body or inside it, and this means that it is not a requirement. If the person exposed to the radiation is polluted, and the non-polluted person is at risk or vulnerable to contamination if he is near radioactive materials, people, or polluted places, while the radioactively contaminated person is the one whose body contains radioactive materials, or it may be on the surface of his body.

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Sources of radioactive contamination

Natural resources

There are many natural sources of radioactive pollution, they can be summarized as follows:

Cosmic radiation: as outer space, including galaxies, releases a group of rays, some of which penetrate into the Earth's atmosphere and interact with its components, and cosmic radiation also includes solar rays, some of which can cause clear changes on the surface of the earth.
Terrestrial environment: where there are some radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium in the earth's crust.
Radioactive materials in the water: The concentration of radioactive materials in the water varies depending on the source of the water. For example, groundwater when it passes between uranium-rich rocks is affected by it and is polluted at very high rates.
Radioactive gases: where these gases are found near the surface of the earth, and they may be formed as a result of the decomposition of some radioactive earth elements, such as the revolution resulting from the dissolution of the element thorium in the earth.

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Industrial sources

There is a group of sources of radioactive pollution that humans have created for various purposes, and among these sources are the following:

Nuclear explosions: The environmental environment that is chosen to cause nuclear explosions is a determining factor in the severity and severity of the detonation, as the air detonation is more harmful than the explosion under water or near the surface of the earth. Due to its ability to spread its polluting atomic waste to all elements of the biological environment.
Nuclear reactors: The impact of radioactive pollution resulting from nuclear reactors can be reduced by taking into account the choice of places as far away as possible from the population centers, and the food and water sources that depend on them.
Medical sources of radiation: Some types of radiation may be used for medical purposes, such as X-rays used to diagnose conditions or diseases.

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Types of radioactive contamination

Radioactive contamination is divided into three types in terms of its frequency of occurrence, as follows:

Continuous radioactive pollution: This type of pollution occurs continuously and permanently in places where radioactive materials are present, such as uranium mines, nuclear reactors, and experimental laboratories.
Instantaneous radioactive contamination: It occurs at a specific time or circumstance, for example when doing nuclear experiments and experimental experiments with radioactive materials.
Accidental radioactive contamination: This type of contamination occurs when experiments with hazardous materials fail, or when control of the materials used in the experiment is lost.

Methods of exposure to radioactive contamination

Exposure to radioactive contamination is carried out in two ways, namely:

Internal contamination: It occurs when radioactive materials enter the body through swallowing or breathing radioactive materials, or by entering them through an open wound, or they are absorbed through the skin , and some of these materials may permanently settle in the various body organs, or it can be Eliminate it through blood, sweat, urine, and feces.
External pollution: which occurs when radioactive materials present in the form of dust, powder, or liquid settle on the outer surface of the skin, hair, or clothes, and external pollution may become internal if the radioactive materials enter their bodies.

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Health risks from radioactive contamination

Acute radiation syndrome

Acute radiation syndrome, radiation sickness, or radiation poisoning (ARS) is a dangerous disease that affects people when exposed to a high level of radiation within a short period of time, and it only occurs when:

Exposure to a high dose of radiation.
In the event that radiation penetrates the body and reaches the internal organs.
Exposure of the whole or most of the body to radiation.
Exposure to radiation within a short period of time, that is, several minutes.

A person with acute radiation syndrome exhibits a set of symptoms, namely:

Nausea and vomiting.
Headache.
Diarrhea .

The time it takes for the body to show symptoms varies, as it may start after minutes of exposure to radiation or after days, and may also continue for a few minutes or several days, and may appear and disappear quickly, and in the event that these symptoms appear, you must go to the radiation emergency center in order to obtain On the necessary medical help after the officials decide that it is safe to carry out the treatment, the person usually feels stable for a period of time after the appearance of the initial symptoms, but the symptoms will return in a different way and with different intensity depending on the dose of radiation received, he may show the same previous symptoms, in addition to Fatigue, fever, loss of appetite , and some cases subject to epileptic seizures and coma, and this disease lasts for a period of a few hours to several months.

People who were exposed to large doses of radiation can suffer from skin problems that resemble the bad objects of sunburn , and may lead to damage, and these problems begin to appear after several hours of exposure to radiation, or they may appear after several days, including: swelling, itching, and redness of the skin And in some severe cases, sores and blisters appear on the skin, and the damage and healing time of the skin varies according to the dose of radiation that the person received, as the skin may begin to heal after a short period, then return to a state of swelling, itching, and redness after several days or weeks, as the operation The skin is similar to a complete recovery, which may take between several weeks and a few years, and people who were exposed to high doses of radiation may suffer temporary hair loss, and hair will return to growth after several weeks approximately.

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Radiation burn

A radiation burn occurs for short (CRI) when the skin is exposed to large doses of radiation, and it is suspected to occur when a person has not been exposed to a heat, electrical or chemical source, and the following groups are susceptible to the occurrence of a radiation burn:

People who are exposed to radioactive materials that emit beta particles, gamma rays , or low-energy X-rays.
People who suffer from acute radiation syndrome, and it does not necessarily mean that everyone who suffers from radiation burns will have acute radiation syndrome.

The injured suffered by burning radiation from a range of symptoms that may appear on them after several hours of exposure to radiation or after several days, and can evolve to another depending on the form of the area of injury and the dose of radiation absorbed by the skin, and the symptoms that appear on people infected with the following:

Itching.
Sensation of numbness.
Redness of the skin.
Edema caused by fluid retention and swelling.

Increased risk of cancer

People who have been exposed to large doses of radiation are more likely to develop cancer with age, so the instructions and directions of emergency officials must be taken to avoid exposure to radiation, and in the case of exposure to radiation and the review of the emergency center, the case will be monitored by the health staff in order to track its long-term effects, and be The incidence of cancer is small if the exposure to radiation is in small doses, so that the incidence of cancer is similar to the rate of its occurrence due to genetics, smoking, diet, or exposure to chemicals, and in the case of cancer, its cause cannot be distinguished, whether it is due to radiation or smoking Or any other factor.

Damage to the cells of the body

Children and fetuses are the most affected groups by radiation, as the process of cell division in their bodies is very rapid, which makes them more likely to be affected by radiation, which leads to disruption of the division processes and damage to cells.

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Environmental risks resulting from radioactive contamination

Radiation affects the environment in a large and complex way, as nuclear practices produce radionuclides that reach the environment and pollute it, so a special scientific system has been developed that deals with the physical and chemical properties of it, and studies its impact on the multiple and complex environmental systems. Firstly, the behavior of these is studied. Radionuclides, and consequently the final results of them, which are represented by the merging of nuclides with each other and transporting them to the environment, which causes pollution of water, air, soil, and even humans and plants.

Among the factors that affect the behavior of radionuclides are the following:

The abundant release of radionuclides from their source to the environment.
The chemical properties of radionuclides. Controllable limits of radionuclide release.
The type and extent of radionuclide spread.
Critical paths of water, or soil, or air, and the other which is going radionuclides radioactive .
Physical characteristics of an ecosystem exposed to pollution.
The extended effect of radionuclides on the environment.
The transition of radionuclides from one ecosystem to another.
The ability of an ecosystem to dilute and dissipate radionuclides.
The way radionuclides travel to plants. Methods of digestion and excretion in animals.
The patterns of the water, air, soil, plant and human cycle change nature.
Food consumption, and the dietary habits of individuals.
The proportion and number of individuals exposed to radiation.

Dealing with radiation contaminated areas

It is easy to deal with small areas with limited radiation pollution by removing the contaminated top layer from the soil or removing contaminated materials from it, but if the polluted area is large and the levels of pollution in it are high, then some measures must be taken to deal with the area and remove the pollution, as must Examine the soil to ensure that it is suitable for living, or that it is suitable for carrying out some human activities on it or not.

Among the methods used to deal with the area contaminated with radiation:

Impose restrictions on people wishing to access the contaminated area.
Preventing the use of the area contaminated with mining tailings in any way, such as building on it.
Because the proportion of radon gas produced by mining is very high.
The use of chemical treatment to prevent the transmission of pollutants from the soil to the animals through the use of Prussian Blue, a chemical that is added to the soil contaminated with radiation, as it prevents the mixing of cesium in the milk and beef, and increases its excretion outside the body.
Adding potassium to radioactively contaminated soil to prevent the soil from absorbing cesium.

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How to act in the event of a radioactive contamination

Radiation does not contain any properties that enable people to see it, feel it, or taste it. Upon exposure to a specific accident, people do not know whether pollution was caused by radioactive materials , or not, but the following measures and precautions can be taken to reduce the occurrence of pollution:

Exit from the vicinity of the accident and go to the nearest safe building, as directed by officials and medical personnel.
Disposing of outer clothing, this procedure will reduce the possibility of any external or internal contamination in the presence of radioactive materials on the clothes, and it will also reduce the time of exposure to radiation.
Put clothes inside a plastic bag and keep it away from people; In order not to be exposed to radiation, as it can be placed in the corner of the room, and wounds must be covered before touching contaminated items to prevent the entry of radioactive materials into them.
Washing the exposed parts of the body with plenty of lukewarm water and soap to get rid of pollution, while avoiding touching non-polluted areas that were covered with clothes to prevent the spread of pollution in them.
In the event that the authorities responsible for the accident determine the possibility that the persons in the place will be exposed to internal pollution, people can take medicine to try to reduce the presence of radioactive materials inside the body.