Nuclear Polution

ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES
ON NUCLEAR POLLUTION
[Author name] [Date] [Course title]

[Author] 1
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
DONE BY
KUNAL DEY

[Author] 2
Q.1) What is Nuclear pollution?
SL.NO CONTENT PAGE.NO
1 ABOUT NUCLEAR POLUTION 3
2 CAUSES OF NUCLEAR POLUTION 4
3 EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR POLLUTION 5
4 PREVENTIONS OF NUCLEAR POLLUTION 6
5 ACCIDENTSOF NUCLEAR POLUTION 7
6 CASE STUDIES OF NUCLEAR POLLUTION 10

[Author] 3
Nuclear pollution is pollution that contains radioactive elements. Nuclear pollution may be in
the air, water or on land.
Nuclear pollution can come from a variety of sources. It most often forms from nuclear
processes such as nuclear fission and radioactive mining. It can also be released into the water,
air or soil during the production of nuclear fuel reactor materials and when radioactive
materials are used in medicine and other industries.
Due to the toxicity of most nuclear pollution, care must be taken to properly dispose of nuclear
waste. In the mid-1980's, the U.S. made plans to build a radioactive waste repository in Nevada,
but the idea has been continuously shot down by Nevada residents who don't want to live near
such dangerous waste materials.
Q.2) What are the causes of nuclearpollution?

[Author] 4
 Nuclear weapons testing:- Beginning with the Second World War when Japan was
subdued after the use of the nuclear bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
countries have been in the race to develop their own nuclear arms, in the name of
defence, but more to threaten rival nations. These were led by US, Russia, Britain, France
and China. Nowadays N. Korea, Iran and many of the developing countries are equipped
to build these weapons as well.
Testing the weapons involves explosions is the atmospheric layer calledstratosphere. The
exploded debris emitting radiation then falls back to the earth. Some of the radiation is
absorbed by our atmosphere. But some of it reaches the earth falling on areas that are
far away from the site where the weapon was released initially.
 NuclearPower Plants:- Intense Nuclear energy fromradioactive fuel is used to heat water
to steam. The steamis then used to turn the turbines that in turn work the generators to
produce electricity. Small amounts of radiation are released during this process into the
water which may then dispose off indiscriminately causing nuclear pollution.
 Improper disposal of spent nuclear fuel:- Spent nuclear fuel contains very active
radioactive atoms that remain so sometimes almost for 600yrs or more. These must be
disposed of in a very careful manner, with strict regulations in well designatedspaces.But
the fact is many governments tend to approve of dumping nuclear fuel as far from their
country as possible. The favorite dumping ground of many countries was the Pacific
Ocean. Greenpeace an organization dedicated to preserving the environment and saving
the earth from pollution has brought attention to this activity and opposes it with fervor.
Some plants store spent fuel in underground water pools as these release a high amount
of heat and need to be cooled down. There is always the danger of seepage into the land
nearby, contaminating ground water and surrounding lands.
 Accident/Damage to Nuclear power plants:- This most famous of these was the
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in Russia in 1986. The fallout of this accident was felt over
three countries- Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The area surrounding the reactor is still
polluted and not suitable for inhabitation or farming.
The other more recent accident was the Fukushima Daichii nuclear disaster on March
11th, 2011. An earthquake followed by a tsunami caused the main reactors and
supplementary generators severe damage. Inadequate preparation to deal with an
incident of this scale was also a factor that leads to hydrogen explosions and the seepage
of radioactive material in the ground water.
Q.3) What are the effects of nuclearpollution?

[Author] 5
The effect of nuclear pollution is seen on every organism in the environment from the bacteria
to plants to human beings.
 The immediate and closest to the source, experience Radiation Sickness. In small doses
of 75-200 rems. One experiences vomiting, fatigue and loss of appetite. At higher
exposures of 300 rem and more changes in the blood cells and bleeding occurs. Above
600 rems there is loss of hair, loss of immunity usually resulting in death in a few days to
weeks. Radiation causes changes in the cell and gene structure of rapidly multiplying cells
of the body, such as bone marrow, skin, intestines, lymphoid tissue and embryo.
 Those exposed from a distance may not show any immediate symptom. But the tendency
to develop various forms of cancersand have a shortenedlifespan is seen.Radiation also
causes cell mutations which can be transferred to the next generation.
 Fetuses are affected with birth defects and cancers. They may also have a shorter life
span.
 Plants die and some show genetic changes and stunted growth. Animals are also affected
and do not survive for too long.
 The radiation in the atmosphere will not dissipate quickly. Every water source will also be
affected. In fact it may take years or centuries to reach a point where such a space may
become habitable.
 An average person will be exposed to about 180 milli rem of radiation in a year from
exposure to natural radiation, medical and dental X rays, Colour TVs, airport baggage X
rays etc.
Q.4) What are the preventions ofnuclearpollution?
The preventive measures which can be taken for nuclear pollution is:-

[Author] 6
 Whilst undergoing procedures for X rays or radiation therapy, correct protection gear
such as lead aprons must be worn. This includes pregnant women. Using lead sheathed
walls in imaging facilities is also mandatory.
 As a lay person one must be aware of the dangers of nuclear pollution. If living in the
vicinity of a nuclear plant or hearing of one being planned, one should use one’s right to
make sure the governing bodies are planning thoroughly on the building, implementing
and disposal of the wastes. Make certain that the authorities are prepared in case of a
disaster, to handle all the situations such as containing the contamination to arranging an
evacuation.
 While working at a radiation facility or in nuclear plant workers are always monitored for
the amount of radiation they have been exposed to.
 Radioactive wastes are actually recyclable to a good extent because usable fuel is still
being created in the wasted material which can then be reprocessed.
 Governments are authorizing research on developing better means for disposal of
radioactive wastes. The most feasible method now appears to be deep underground
storage of wastes.
 Power plants must ensure that the radioactive fuel and wastes are being transported and
disposed of in safe containers which are long lasting and unbreakable.
 Governing agencies need to make sure that radioactive material does not fall into wrong
hands that will, for a profit sell these to people who are in the business of war mongering.
NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS

[Author] 7
THE 1986 CHERNOBYL DISASTER
The 1986 Chernobyl disastertriggeredthe release of substantial amountsof radioactivity intothe
atmosphere inthe formof both particulate andgaseous radioisotopes.Itisone of the most significant
unintentional releasesof radioactivity intothe environmenttopresent.
The Chernobyl disaster wasa nucleardisasterwhichoccurredon26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear
powerplantinPripyat,Ukraine.Atthat time,Ukraine waspart of the SovietUnion.
The eventwasthe worst accidentinthe historyof nuclearpower.Because there wasno containment
buildingtotrapthe radiation, radioactive falloutdriftedoverpartsof the western SovietUnion, Eastern
Europe, Scandinavia,the UK,andthe eastern UnitedStates.Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus,
and Russiawere badlycontaminated.About60% of the radioactive falloutlandedinBelarus. About
350,000 people neededtobe evacuated(movedaway) andmovedtootherplaceswhere theycouldlive
afterthe accident.
Before the accident,there wasaplannedpowerreduction.Bythe beginningof the dayshift,the power
level hadreached50%.Followingthis,randomly,one of the regionalpowerstationswentoffline.Itwas
thenrequestedthatthe furtherpowerreductionwouldbe postponed.Despitethisrequest,the
reductionandpreparationsfora testthat wasto happencontinued.
The accidentoccurred whenthe fourthreactorsuffereda huge powerincrease.Thisledtothe core of
the reactor exploding.Due tothisexplosion,large amountsof radioactive materialsandfuel were
releasedintothe atmosphere.Thislitthe combustible graphitemoderatoronfire.Thisfire greatened
the release of radioactive material,whichwascarriedbythe smoke of the fire,intothe environment
and atmosphere.
THE 2011 FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR DISASTER

[Author] 8
The Great East Earthquake occurred at 2:46pm on March 11th recorded magnitude 9.0, has
given tremendous damage to the northern part of Japan, especially in the prefectures of
Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate. The earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear accident
since Chernobyl. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station located in the Pacific Ocean coast
received huge damage by the earthquake and tsunami. The piping facility in the building, the
facilities for the external power supply and backup power were destroyed. The next day, 12th
in the early morning, the leakage of radioactive materials had been found in front of the main
gate of the nuclear power plant. The steam was filled in the building by the core melt down
caused by the dysfunction of the cooling system. Lots of radioactive materials were scattered in
the environment thorough “vent” to reduce the internal pressure and the hydroponic
explosions of the nuclear reactors. According to the estimates by Asahi newspaper based on
the data from TEPCO, the amount of radioactive materials released into the air were 770,000
tera Bq until beginning of Apr.11,2011, and still going on with high risk. It is said that this
amount is about 20% of the Chernobyl accident. On April 12th, 2011, Nuclear and Industrial
Safety Agency raised the rate of the accident from level 5 to the level 7, the same level as
Chernobyl.
THE 2010 MAYAPURI RADIOLOGICALACCIDENT

[Author] 9
This article reports the accidental public radiation exposure in a scrap market in Delhi, India, on
March 2010. The source, a gamma unit containing Cobalt-60 pencils, was improperly disposed
of by a research institution in violation of national regulations for radiation protection and
safety of radioactive sources. The unit was sold off to unsuspecting scrap dealers who
dismantled the equipment. This event subsequently caused the most severe radiation accident
reported in India to date, resulting in seven radiation injuries and one death. The clinical course
of five of the patients treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences hospital, New Delhi,
is summarised in this report. All five patients suffered from the haematological form of the
acute radiation syndrome and local cutaneous radiation injury as well. While four patients
exposed to doses between 0.6 and 2.8 Gy survived with intensive or supportive treatment, the
patient with the highest exposure of 3.1 Gy died due to acute respiratory distress syndrome
and multi-organ failure on Day 16 after hospitalisation. The incident highlights the current gaps
in the knowledge, infrastructure and legislation in handling radioactive materials. Medical
institutions need to formulate individualised triage and management guidelines to immediately
respond to future public radiological accidents.
CASE STUDIES

[Author] 10
THE 1986 CHERNOBYL DISASTER
INTRODUCTION:-
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power
Plant in on April 26, 1986. It is considered the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history. A
nuclear meltdown in one of the reactors caused a fire that sent a plume of radioactive fallout
that eventually spread all over Europe. Nuclear power plant with 4 reactors near city of
Chernobyl in the former USSR. Reactor 4 exploded on April 26 1986. The only nuclear accident
in a civilian nuclear power plant ever. Caused 31 deaths instantly. May have caused 300000
deaths. Upwards of 20 million people exposed to radioactivity. And costed around $400 billion
and 200 years to totally clean up.
ACCIDENT:-
• Experiment started April 25 to determine how long turbine would spin and produce power
after a loss of electrical power.
• Reactor was known to be unstable at power levels lower than 700 MW(t).
• Power levels brought down to 500 MW(t).
• 12:30 am - power dropped to 30 MW(t).
• Most control rods raised to increase power levels.
• 1:23 am - reactor out of control.
• Emergency shutdown initiated.
• Power surged to 100 times acceptable limits.
EXPLOSION:-
• April 26, 1:24 am - plant exploded

[Author] 11
• 8 tonnes of fuel were ejected into atmosphere including plutonium, graphite moderator,
iodine- 131, and cesium- 137
• 12 X 1018 Bq of radioactivity were released
• May 2-3, 45 000 people were evacuated
• May 4, 169 000 people were evacuated
• Later another 219 000 evacuated, to comprise 4300 square kilometres of contaminated area.
EFFECTS:-
400 times more radiation was released by the disaster than had been by the atomic bombing of
Hiroshima. The radiation would later be detected in almost all parts of Europe. Over one million
people could have been adversely affected by the radiation. The radiation would cause
numerous problems, including Down's syndrome, chromosomal aberrations, mutations,
leukaemia, thyroid cancer, and birth defects.
The radiation would affect all parts of the environment surrounding the plant, killing plants and
animals and infecting the soil and groundwater. Life has returned to the area and seems to be
flourishing, possibly due to the lack of human intrusion. Remarkably, numerous species have
been reported to have adapted to their environment and have developed increased tolerance
of radiation, making it possible for them to live with the radiation that is still prevalent in the
soil and plants around the plant. It has even been reported that radio trophic fungi have been
growing on the walls of reactor 4.
Today, radiation levels are still higher than normal in the areas surrounding the plant, but have
dropped considerably from the levels that they were at twenty years ago. It is now considered
safe to visit the areas immediately surrounding the plant for short periods of time. However, it
is estimated that it will take 20,000 years for reactor 4's core to be completely safe.
THE 2011 FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR DISASTER

[Author] 12
INTRODUCTION:-
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake andtsunami of unprecedentedscale ledtomajorproblemswiththe
stabilizationof nuclearpowerplants(NPP) innortheasternJapan.Operatingreactorsshutdown
automatically,withcontrol rodsinsertingintothe reactorcores.However,the 14-metertsunami
triggeredbythe earthquake disabledall ACpowertoUnits1, 2, and3 of the FukushimaDaiichi Power
Plant,carryingawayfuel tanksfor emergencydieselgenerators.Waterinjectionfailedinthe emergency
core coolingsystemof Units1, 2, and 3. Since the normal coolingsystemwasinoperable,apressure
valve wasopenedmanuallytoreduce the pressureinthe reactorcontainer.Inspite of suchefforts,
hydrogenexplosionsdamagedthe facilities.Eventually,alarge amountof radioactive material was
releasedintothe environment.
EVENTS:-
March 11
2:46 p.m. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake strikes.Ground acceleration triggers automatic shutdown of all
three reactors in operation.
3:42 p.m. A 14-meter tsunami triggered by the earthquake disables all AC power to Units 1, 2 and 3.
3:45 p.m. Fuel tanks for emergency diesel generators arecarried off by the tsunami.
4:46 p.m. Water injection failsin theemergency core coolingsystems of Units 1 and 2.
March 12
9:07 p.m. A pressurerelief valveis opened on the Unit 1 pressurevessel.
3:36 p.m. A hydrogen explosion damages the structure of the Unit 1 reactor building.
8:20 p.m. Seawater injection to the Unit 1 pressurevessel begins.
5:58 a.m. Water injection failsin theemergency core coolingsystem of Unit 3.
March 13
9:20 a.m. A pressurerelief valveis opened on the Unit 3 pressurevessel.
4:46 p.m. Water injection failsin theemergency core coolingsystems of Unit 1 and 2.
11:01 a.m. A hydrogen explosion damages the external structureof the Unit 3 reactor building.
March 14

[Author] 13
1:25 p.m. The water level in the Unit 2 pressurevessel is found to be low, leadingoperators to conclude
that the reactor coolingsystemis no longer functional.
4:34 p.m. Seawater injection into the Unit 2 pressurevessel begins.
6:20 a.m. An explosion sound is heard atUnit 2 and it concluded to indicatean abnormality in the pressure
suppression pool.At the same time, part of a wall in the operation area of Unit 4 is damaged.
9:38 a.m. A firebreaks out in the Unit 4 reactor building.
March 15
12:29 p.m. The unit 4 fireis extinguished.
EFFECTS:-
The effects of the 2011 fukushima daiichi nuclear disaster is:-
• Marine and groundwatercontaminationwascausedbybackflow anddeliberate discharge of
radioactive waste waterfromthe plant.Withapproximately15-27PBq of radioactive marine discharge,
the Fukushimanucleardisasterconstitutesthe singleworstradioactive contaminationof the oceans
everrecorded.
• Radioactive falloutoccurredmainlyabovethe NorthernPacific(79%),withabout19% of the fallout
contaminatingEasternHonshuIsland,includingthe TokyoMetropolitanareaandleavinganareaof
more than 1000 km2 highlycontaminatedwithradioactiveisotopes.
• 200,000 people were forcedtoleave theirhomesasa 20 km2 zone aroundthe plantwas evacuated
indefinitely.
• The riskof developingcancerandotherradiation-induceddiseasesincreasedproportionallytothe
amountof radioactive exposure.There isnolowerthreshold,aseventhe slightestamountof
radioactivitycancause harmful tissue damage andgeneticmutations.
• Radioactive contaminationhasbeendetectedinall kindsof fruitsandvegetablesgrowninthe
affectedregionsaswell asinmeatof animalsgrazingoncontaminatedland.Radioactivityhasalsobeen
detectedinmilk,teaandtapwater,eveninthe TokyoMetropolitanarea.
• Fishandseafoodcaughtin the NorthPacificare highlycontaminated,withaclearaccumulationof
radioactivityinanimalshigherupthe food-chaininthe monthsafterthe disaster.
• Childrenare mostseverelyaffectedbyradioactivity,astheirbodieshave ahighersensibilityandas
theirnatural habitsexpose themtogreaterdosage.
THE 2010 MAYAPURIRADIOLOGICALACCIDENT

[Author] 14
Fear of a radiation leak is haunting businessmen and residents of Mayapuri, who claimthat that
authorities have failed to keep a check on the large scale dismantling of machines that go on in
the area.
RK Gupta, the general secretary of the Mayapuri-Rewariline industrial welfare association says
that while the content of scrap, vehicles and other items brought for dismantling are dubious
and remain unverified, open dismantling of machines poses the danger of a repeat of radiation
incident that occurred in the area five years ago.
West Delhi’s Mayapuri had witnessed a radiation leak on April 8, 2010, after a heavy machine
from the Delhi University was brought to the market and dismantled. One person was reported
dead and eight others were hospitalised after they were exposed to cobalt-60, a radioactive
element used in the machine.
“In spite of several letters to senior officials, including the municipal commissioner, L-G, CM,
commissioner of Police and public representatives, the condition remains that same,” Gupta
adds.
Residents complain that scrap dealers have encroached upon roads and public spaces making
commute impossible in the area. Mayapuri has industries on internal roads too making
travelling in and out of the area a daily torment for industry owners and employees. “Scrap
dealers of Motia Khan were relocated to Mayapuri area during the Emergency. However, since
then, scrap dealers have encroached on the entire area, including the arterial and internal
roads,” Gupta says.
Senior officials in the Delhi government say that plans are being made to improve the condition
of the area and meetings with the area occupants will be held soon to ensure public safety.
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Nuclear Polution

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