• Alpha particle ( ionizing radiation ) - two neutrons and two protons bound as a single particle (a helium nucleus) that is emitted from the nucleus of certain radioactive isotopes in the process of disintegration. (cdc.gov)
  • Background radioactivity - radioactive elements in the natural environment including those in the crust of the earth (like radioactive potassium, uranium, and thorium isotopes) and those produced by cosmic rays. (cdc.gov)
  • Beta particle ( ionizing radiation ) - a charged particle emitted from the nucleus of certain unstable atomic nuclei (radioactive isotopes), having the charge and mass of an electron. (cdc.gov)
  • Specifically, they are worried about the fact that U.S. spent fuel pools are loaded with a large quantity of fuel assemblies that have been used to generate power and thus contain radioactive isotopes, including cesium-137, a gamma emitting isotope with a 30-year half life. (atomicinsights.com)
  • On March 23, experts were asked, on television and in the press, about the blue neutron beam, and stated that it might be due to the presence of uranium and plutonium radioactive isotopes, and an indication of spontaneous random re-criticality. (blogspot.com)
  • In its elementary state uranium is only weakly radioactive due to its unstable isotopes, which vary naturally. (euradcom.org)
  • This human tragedy resulted in large scale displacement of more than 200,000 people, contamination of vast areas of land and loss of livelihood. (theseoultimes.com)
  • The worst scenario is the coolant water of the reactors are directly leaking to underground to cause sea contamination. (fukushima-diary.com)
  • Of the 19 active sites in the program, four sites with complicated cleanup remedies or large amounts of contamination make up about three-quarters of this estimate. (wise-uranium.org)
  • Radioactive uranium contamination would become part of the 'dross' during the melting, leaving the majority of metals to be cast as ingots for future use. (wise-uranium.org)
  • And after they find high levels [of radioactive contamination], they demand local authorities and the government look at those contaminated areas. (greenleft.org.au)
  • They assert that the potential radioactive contamination problem associated with the material in the spent fuel pools could be reduced by moving assemblies that have been out of reactors for more than five years into licensed dry storage containers. (atomicinsights.com)
  • Although U.S. nuclear power plant regulators monitor operational safety, natural hazards (such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes), human error, mechanical failure, and design flaws can still trigger the release of radioactive contamination. (nrdc.org)
  • In the aftermath of both the earthquake and tsunami, this radioactive contamination has added to the public health concerns of the island nation. (patimes.org)
  • In particular, citizens should be cognizant of environmental concerns, community health concerns, general public health concerns and personal health concerns as they relate to the hazards caused by the earthquake, tsunami and radioactive contamination. (patimes.org)
  • In addition, there are legitimate as well as media-driven fears of radioactive contamination of food, water, dairy products (such as milk, cheese, and eggs), and freshly grown vegetables (i.e., spinach). (patimes.org)
  • It was first consciously applied to modern physics by Frederick Soddy when he, along with Ernest Rutherford in 1901, discovered that radioactive thorium was converting itself into radium. (wikipedia.org)
  • A Cold War-era liquid-fueled reactor design could transform thorium - a radioactive waste from mining - into a practically limitless energy source. (businessinsider.com)
  • The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear reactor accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. (theseoultimes.com)
  • Reactor number 4 of Chernobyl power station, situated near Pripyat in Ukraine , exploded. (theseoultimes.com)
  • He added that the radioactive contaminants released from the plant amounted to 10 per cent of those released at Chernobyl. (idsa.in)
  • The difference between Chernobyl and Fukushima is that the reactor itself exploded at Chernobyl, while at Fukushima though some radioactivity leaked from the reactor most of the radioactive material was contained within it. (idsa.in)
  • According to him, the level of radioactive substances released from the damaged Fukushima plant is nowhere near the Chernobyl levels. (idsa.in)
  • Another key difference is that the Chernobyl reactor used carbon to slow down neutrons, a key part of the fission reaction, while Fukushima's reactor cores are cooled by light-water, which greatly reduces the amount of radioactive soot in the wind . (scientificamerican.com)
  • Meanwhile, the highly radioactive mass inside Chernobyl is basically invulnerable, surrounded by a huge cement and metal sarcophagus, as well as an even bigger, $1.6 billion, airplane hangar-like structure designed to withstand earthquakes and tornadoes. (worldcrunch.com)
  • Unfortunately, the preserved recycled scrap metals would have 'trace amounts of radioactivity. (wise-uranium.org)
  • The amount of radioactivity that we are storing in unsafe, vulnerable pools constitutes the largest concentrations of radioactivity on the planet. (greenleft.org.au)
  • In this section, ATSDR assesses the health implications of past, current, and future exposures to radioactive contaminants released from White Oak Creek for people who used or lived-or currently use or live-near the Clinch River and LWBR. (cdc.gov)
  • Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency adapted High-Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) to meet the new regulatory requirements that began in December 2013. (go.jp)
  • Nuclear reactors and their associated high level spent fuel stores are vulnerable to natural disasters, as Fukushima Daiichi showed , but they are also vulnerable in times of military conflict . (greenpeace.org)
  • The US shares similar reactor designs as the Japanese reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi station. (greenleft.org.au)
  • What you're reading took numerous hours of research over many days to discover the theoretical timeline of Plutonium radioactive isotope leakage at the Fukushima Daiichi facility. (blogspot.com)
  • During shut down of the HTTR (High Temperature engineering Test Reactor) RS-14 cycle, an increasing trend of filter differential pressure for the helium gas circulator was observed. (go.jp)
  • Nuclear power plants can generate bountiful, carbon-free electricity, but their solid fuel is problematic, and aging reactors are being shut down. (businessinsider.com)
  • Today, they supply about 20% of America's energy, though by the 2040s, this share may drop to 10% as companies shut down decades-old reactors, according to a January 2017 report released by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). (businessinsider.com)
  • Nuclear reactors in the United States and France are often shut down during heatwaves , or see their activity drastically slowed. (greenpeace.org)
  • The National Research Reactor suffered a failure that shut down the facility due to operational poor decisions and a chain reaction that the operators we unable to control. (umich.edu)
  • Over the next few years, a few reactors are scheduled to be shut down , including California's last nuclear reactor in 2025. (nrdc.org)
  • Some reactors are being shut down before their operating licenses expire because of a combination of safety concerns and economic competition. (nrdc.org)
  • The reactors shut down as designed and the core cooling systems kicked in, again as designed, powered by the diesel generators. (johndearmond.com)
  • For the use of uranium as fuel in light water reactors, the percentage of the fissile uranium isotope uranium-235 has to be raised from its value of 0.71% in natural uranium to a reactor grade of 3.2% (for Boiling Water Reactors - BWRs) or 3.6% (for Pressurized Water Reactors - PWRs). (ratical.org)
  • This fuel contains greater amounts of a certain kind (or isotope) of uranium known as U-235. (nrdc.org)
  • When Russian forces attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, back in March, many watched on in horror. (worldcrunch.com)
  • The water inside the reactors is decreasing due to continuous leakage and so it has to be constantly replenished. (idsa.in)
  • Moreover, radioactive waste PFPE lubricants are difficult to be effectively treated due to their high stability, the risk of possible leakage of radionuclides, and hypertoxic fluorine-containing by-products. (bvsalud.org)
  • Luckily, a nuclear meltdown was avoided due to release of coolant in the facility. (theseoultimes.com)
  • March 13 o Second explosion at Fukushima o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7crIPPhmVI * o http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77451.html o The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., commonly known as TEPCO, began injecting fresh water into the No. 3 reactor on Sunday after coolant water levels fell, while letting out radioactive steam to relieve pressure that had built up inside. (blogspot.com)
  • To evaluate health effects from radiation doses received by individuals exposed to radionuclides released into the Clinch River from White Oak Creek, ATSDR used a "weight-of-dose approach. (cdc.gov)
  • Activation products - radionuclides that result from the absorption of neutrons by uranium, and other materials present in a nuclear reactor. (cdc.gov)
  • However, the use of PFPEs in the nuclear industry can lead to partial decomposition and carrying radionuclides, resulting in a large amount of radioactive waste PFPE lubricants annually. (bvsalud.org)
  • One type of natural transmutation observable in the present occurs when certain radioactive elements present in nature spontaneously decay by a process that causes transmutation, such as alpha or beta decay. (wikipedia.org)
  • Also on Earth, natural transmutations from the different mechanisms of natural nuclear reactions occur, due to cosmic ray bombardment of elements (for example, to form carbon-14), and also occasionally from natural neutron bombardment (for example, see natural nuclear fission reactor). (wikipedia.org)
  • Conventional fission power reactors also cause artificial transmutation, not from the power of the machine, but by exposing elements to neutrons produced by fission from an artificially produced nuclear chain reaction. (wikipedia.org)
  • The released neutrons then cause fission of other uranium atoms, until all of the available uranium is exhausted. (wikipedia.org)
  • Leading critic, Dr. Henry W Kendall of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, once said that "the uncontrolled release of even 5 of 10% of the core inventory could bring instantaneous death to persons up to 60-100 miles from a large fission-power reactor. (umich.edu)
  • But when a neutron strikes the nucleus of certain atoms-uranium, for example-this atomic center can break into pieces in a process called nuclear fission, releasing enormous energy in the form of heat and radiation. (nrdc.org)
  • Nuclear power comes from the energy that is released in the process of nuclear fission. (nrdc.org)
  • In fission, the nuclear fuel is placed in a nuclear reactor core and the atoms making up the fuel are broken into pieces, releasing energy. (nrdc.org)
  • The neutrons that are released by one atomic fission go on to fission other nuclei, triggering a chain reaction that produces heat, radiation, and radioactive waste products. (nrdc.org)
  • The energy released from the fission of uranium atoms heats water, which produces steam. (nrdc.org)
  • Experts like Michio Kaku mentioned that Plutonium could be released from the MOX fuel, and then when the explosions began occurring so often (beginning on March 12), many nuclear experts stated that plutonium is a byproduct of the nuclear fission process. (blogspot.com)
  • Like the fuel rods in the reactor core, spent fuel rods must be kept cool or the release of cesium-137 and strontium-90, among other deadly radioisotopes, could result. (scientificamerican.com)
  • These "new" radioactive substances are called nuclides, which are so dangerous that, if inhaled, even just a thousandth of a gram of Plutonium-239 induces massive fibrosis of the lungs and can cause death within days (A pinch of uranium, a touch of technocracy and a lot of luck, by Richard Pollack). (umich.edu)
  • As air was sucked into the shattered reactor, it ignited the flammable carbon monoxide, resulting in a fire that raged for nine days. (theseoultimes.com)
  • At least one study found that it's possible for hydrogen buildup in a reactor core to form flammable and detonable mixtures, jeopardizing the containment integrity . (scientificamerican.com)
  • I've recently learned that the December 26th, 2004 Sumatra tsunami has apparently proven to geologists around the world that one 'mega-earthquake' can sometimes create a tsunami which is much larger and more widespread than anything previously expected AND it can shake the earth more, and further away from the epicenter, than previously expected. (animatedsoftware.com)
  • Some of the most dangerous radioactive elements known to man are created in nuclear power plants. (umich.edu)
  • According to the deputy director general of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), Hidehiko Nishiyama, the rating was scaled up from 5 (applied to "an accident with wider consequences) to 7 (a "major accident" as per the International Atomic Energy Agency) because of the amount of radioactive material released from the plant. (idsa.in)
  • The Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the operator of the crippled nuclear plant, has said the fire that broke out in reactor No. 4 has been put out and that it did not have any impact on radiation levels around the plant or on the plant's cooling systems. (idsa.in)
  • Some specialists, such as Professor Hisashi Ninokata of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, have suggested that TEPCO urgently needs to repair the plant's damaged cooling system or even construct a whole new external plant to lower the temperature of the reactors to less than 100 degrees to stabilise the blazing fuel rods inside. (idsa.in)
  • The US fast breeder program (see Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant) was one of these, and did indeed get canceled in part due to cost overruns. (whatisnuclear.com)
  • Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has now admitted for the first time that full nuclear meltdowns occurred at three of the plant's reactors, and more than doubled its estimate for the amount of radiation that leaked from the plant in the first week of the disaster in March. (greenleft.org.au)
  • Their premise is that the public will be better protected if the NRC requires nuclear plant operators to reduce the density of their spent fuel pools and limit the amount of material that could potentially be released. (atomicinsights.com)
  • Spent fuel pool safety was enhanced at U.S. reactors when licensees implemented new NRC requirements to develop strategies for spent fuel pool cooling following losses of large areas of the plant due to fires, explosions, or extreme natural events. (atomicinsights.com)
  • This catastrophic event severely damaged the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant resulting in the release of radioactive material. (patimes.org)
  • Again it was much larger than what the plant was designed to withstand. (johndearmond.com)
  • As the reactor was not housed in a reinforced concrete shield, large amounts of debris escaped in the atmosphere. (theseoultimes.com)
  • But traces of radioactive debris were found in nearly every country in the Northern Hemisphere. (theseoultimes.com)
  • Many environmental hazards impact citizens such as gas leaks, floodwaters, downed power lines, wet electrical outlets, gasoline/oil spills, and hazardous debris. (patimes.org)
  • This releases, on average, three neutrons and a large amount of energy. (wikipedia.org)
  • Two or three neutrons are emitted with a large amount of heat/energy . (getrevising.co.uk)
  • That's why power plants use "control rods" that absorb some of the released neutrons, preventing them from causing further fissions. (nrdc.org)
  • The nuclear reactor after the disaster. (theseoultimes.com)
  • A former defense minister noted after the disaster (on page 124): "It is important to maintain our commercial reactors because it will allow us to produce a nuclear warhead in a short amount of time. (thebulletin.org)
  • During the aftermath of a catastrophe, many survivors of the initial disaster are either killed, maimed, or severely injured due to environmental and/or public health hazards. (patimes.org)
  • Citizens must be aware of both environmental and/or public health hazards to ensure individual as well as community wellness post-disaster. (patimes.org)
  • Individuals affected by this disaster should be most concerned with hazards posed by their immediate surroundings. (patimes.org)
  • By being aware of such hazards and taking the requisite safety precautions for personal protection, many post-disaster deaths and injuries can be avoided. (patimes.org)
  • Another important hazard of this disaster is the number of deceased individuals that have not been located and buried properly. (patimes.org)
  • True disclosure of that information only came out in the TEPCO press release on April 9th and through the Japanese Educational website about the disaster and reactor status (April 8th). (blogspot.com)
  • [ 1 ] The main challenge was adapting the existing models, whose primary focus was containing a hazardous material release, to one that reflected the chaos of a large-scale disaster involving a large number of affected individuals. (medscape.com)
  • While it takes longer for the spent fuel rods to become as hazardous as a reactor core meltdown, the ongoing nature of Japan's crisis presents a unique hazard. (scientificamerican.com)
  • The safety and seismic classifications of the existing structures, systems, and components were discussed to reflect insights regarding High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) that were acquired through various HTTR safety tests. (go.jp)
  • People fished in it, and unsuspecting bathers swam in it, attracted to the warmer water near the reactors, where the temperature rose by as much as five degrees. (uchicago.edu)
  • TEPCO officials are worried that highly radioactive water believed to be leaking from deep inside the troubled reactors has flooded the basements of the turbine building, particularly the basement floor of reactor two. (idsa.in)
  • In order to gather the most thorough evidence to date, we poured through countless news stories from Japan and the World, as well as official press releases from TEPCO, NRC documents, Areva status documents, and a JAIF report in order to determine the truth at Fukushima. (blogspot.com)
  • March 14 o http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11040901-e.html o Extreme pressure at #3 per TEPCO chronology dated April 9th 2011 * o Two new explosions at Fukushima and high radiation. (blogspot.com)
  • 270,000 people and 14,000 square miles were exposed to radiation hazards. (theseoultimes.com)
  • Even today, the radiation levels in the region are extremely high and the natural water resources are still contaminated with radioactive waste. (theseoultimes.com)
  • The radiation released into the atmosphere peaked between March 15 and 16, and subsequently declined. (idsa.in)
  • A 1982 analysis by a congressional subcommittee estimated that, under worst-case conditions, a catastrophe at one of the Indian Point reactors could result in fifty thousand fatalities and more than a hundred thousand radiation injuries. (ipsecinfo.org)
  • A huge source of background radiation is radon gas which seeps through the floors from radioactive elements from underground. (getrevising.co.uk)
  • Further health hazards result from the chemical toxicity of the uranium to the kidneys, and from the radiation of the uranium (an alpha emitter). (ratical.org)
  • Everyone is radioactive, and everyone encounters radiation every day. (umich.edu)
  • While no radiation is "safe" the amounts of radiation that humans are exposed to every day are low enough that it does not present a hazard to public health. (umich.edu)
  • When nuclear disasters occur the nuclear power plants could suffer a meltdown, meaning the melting through of the containment structure and releasing radiation to the ground and air. (umich.edu)
  • If uncontrolled, that chain reaction could produce so much heat that the nuclear reactor core itself could actually melt and release dangerous radiation. (nrdc.org)
  • Artificial nuclear transmutation has been considered as a possible mechanism for reducing the volume and hazard of radioactive waste. (wikipedia.org)
  • The lid of the reactor was blown off and a large amount of cooling water, contaminated with radioactive waste, was leaked out. (theseoultimes.com)
  • Uranium and plutonium in fuel rods are used again, however other radioactive waste from the fuel rods are emptied into secure conditions until it all decays . (getrevising.co.uk)
  • In the example shown, the depleted uranium waste stream is seven times larger than the enriched uranium product stream. (ratical.org)
  • If we'd stopped producing in 1945, we'd have a minuscule amount [of radioactive waste] compared to what's out there in those tanks now," Franklin says. (uchicago.edu)
  • Results demonstrate the potential for microbes to influence the geochemistry of radioactive waste disposal environments with implication for wasteform durability. (bvsalud.org)
  • The claystone-based Tamusu area in the Bayingebi Basin, Inner Mongolia, is preselected as a China's high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) repository site. (bvsalud.org)
  • Inside, it is filled with tips like "Six Facts You Need to Know About KI-Potassium Iodide" (No. 1: it can protect your thyroid if you are exposed to radioactive iodine) and "helpful answers" to questions like "Could Indian Point explode like a bomb? (ipsecinfo.org)
  • They emit alpha particles which are a health hazard if breathed in. (getrevising.co.uk)
  • Because of their relatively large mass and positive charge, alpha particles are highly effective in transferring energy to tissue but are also easily blocked by a piece of paper or clothing. (medscape.com)
  • A transmutation can be achieved either by nuclear reactions (in which an outside particle reacts with a nucleus) or by radioactive decay, where no outside cause is needed. (wikipedia.org)
  • In order to displace a significant amount of carbon-emitting fossil fuel generation, another 1,000 to 1,500 new 1,000+ Megawatt reactors would need to come on line worldwide by 2050, a completely prohibitive proposition. (whatisnuclear.com)
  • Nuclear reactors, on the other hand, fit the bill: They're dense, reliable, emit no carbon, and - contrary to bitter popular sentiment - are among the safest energy sources on earth. (businessinsider.com)
  • These aging nuclear reactors cannot compete economically with other low-carbon energy sources, like solar and wind, or with investments in energy efficiency. (nrdc.org)
  • Both narratives date from a time when no one cared how much carbon dioxide was released into the atmosphere. (worldcrunch.com)
  • This act triggered an explosion which destroyed the reactor core and released the reactor fuel. (umich.edu)
  • Citizens should be cognizant of the hazards presented by damaged gas lines including both fire and explosion. (patimes.org)
  • Called a molten-salt reactor , the technology was conceived during the Cold War and forgoes solid nuclear fuel for a liquid one, which it can "burn" with far greater efficiency than any power technology in existence. (businessinsider.com)
  • It pumped 10,400 tonnes of low-level radioactive water into the ocean to free storage capacity for the highly contaminated water from the reactors. (idsa.in)
  • It is estimated that 60,000 tons of contaminated water have flooded the turbine buildings of reactors 1, 2, 3 and 4. (idsa.in)
  • To make up for the loss of water, there are redundant HPSI ("hipsee") and LPSI ("lipsee") pumps (high and low pressure safety injection pumps) located in alcoves off the reactor building under the torus (not shown). (johndearmond.com)
  • Also spent much time in the reactor basement under the Torus calibrating various instrument systems. (johndearmond.com)
  • While such rods are spent in terms of their usefulness in the reactor core, they still contain deadly radioisotopes that remain hazardous. (scientificamerican.com)
  • In the United States, as of January 1, 2022, there are 55 commercially operating nuclear power plants running 93 nuclear reactors in 28 states. (nrdc.org)
  • As stars begin to fuse heavier elements, substantially less energy is released from each fusion reaction. (wikipedia.org)
  • If the whole contents of a cylinder is released during a fire, lethal air concentrations of toxic substances can occur within distances of 500 to 1,000 meters. (ratical.org)
  • The idea is that any steam released, either through relief valves or through a fault inside the primary containment would be conducted through the downcomers (the diagonal pipes that lead to the torus) and into the sparger system (the series of pipes shown in the torus cut-away) inside the torus that releases the steam underwater where it immediately condenses. (johndearmond.com)
  • Then the LPSI takes over and cools the reactor until there is no more steam. (johndearmond.com)
  • It cools the torus and the reactor after steam pressure is reduced to 15 psi or less and during cold shutdown. (johndearmond.com)
  • According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, a level 7 incident entails "a major release of radioactive material with widespread health and environmental effects requiring implementation of planned and extended countermeasueres. (idsa.in)
  • Two explosions blew off the dome shaped roof of the reactor, causing its contents to erupt out. (theseoultimes.com)
  • Part "Hints from Heloise," part "Dr. Strangelove," the booklet has a cheerful blue cover decorated with drawings of a siren and a reactor dome. (ipsecinfo.org)
  • And while keeping a nuclear reactor operating for 80 years is itself unprecedented, the NRC is already discussing a third round of license extensions to allow reactors to operate for 100 years. (nrdc.org)
  • Trained by the Tennessee Valley Authority to operate this same type of reactor. (johndearmond.com)
  • For the first time in history, a major war is being waged in a country with multiple nuclear reactors and thousands of tons of highly radioactive spent fuel. (greenpeace.org)
  • A nuclear reactor core meltdown occurs when the fuel rod in the reactor core is unable to remain cool. (scientificamerican.com)
  • Taking notice of the growing military use of DU, we must consider not only the increased threats of radioactive battlefields but also the whole dirty cycle in the uranium industry connected with the DU technology and its impact on health and the environment in the surroundings of test areas and in the uranium industry itself. (ratical.org)
  • These resources are neither unlimited in quantity nor evenly spread throughout the various political entities on Earth, so one would not expect them to be voluntarily relinquished in large amounts by those who exist in their surroundings. (blogspot.com)
  • Nuclear power, no matter the reactor design, cannot address climate change in time. (whatisnuclear.com)
  • These recycled metals should only be used under control conditions at DOE sites or possibly in the construction of nuclear reactors and associated equipment at nuclear power plants,' the recommendation states. (wise-uranium.org)
  • Nuclear power is often hailed as a magic bullet solution for the rapid and large-scale decarbonisation of our societies which we all know needs to happen if we have any hope of mitigating the worst effects of the unfolding climate emergency. (greenpeace.org)
  • Nuclear power plants present unique hazards in terms of the potential consequences resulting from a severe accident. (greenpeace.org)
  • Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) is a project to construct a 3,200 MWe nuclear power station with two EPR reactors in Somerset, England. (greenpeace.org)
  • Like nuclear power, which has 'peaceful' and 'wartime' uses, radioisotopes can be deadly when released unexpectedly into the environment in large doses but can also be used for medicinal purposes . (scientificamerican.com)
  • Depleted uranium is left over after uranium has been enriched for use in nuclear reactors or weapons, blurring the line between peaceful and wartime uses of nuclear power. (scientificamerican.com)
  • The SL-1 or Stationary Low-Power Reactor Number One, was the first fatal nuclear accident in the United States. (umich.edu)
  • The pumps require no electrical power (hydraulic governor) and one pump is adequate to cool the reactor. (johndearmond.com)
  • Most stars carry out transmutation through fusion reactions involving hydrogen and helium, while much larger stars are also capable of fusing heavier elements up to iron late in their evolution. (wikipedia.org)
  • Past releases of radioactive material from White Oak Creek are not a public health hazard for people who used or lived near the Clinch River and LWBR. (cdc.gov)
  • But radioactive material getting into the general public does not need autonomy. (uchicago.edu)
  • My report dealt with the vulnerabilities and hazards of stored spent fuel at US reactors in the US. (greenleft.org.au)
  • There's less heat in the spent fuel rods than in the reactor core's fuel rods, so the danger posed is less intense, but in an encompassing crisis such as a magnitude 9.0 earthquake affecting multiple sites at once, the ability to cool storage pools can be greatly impaired. (scientificamerican.com)
  • The enclosures of plants and certain ancillary buildings containing radioactive materials are not designed to withstand this type of attack or shock. (greenpeace.org)
  • A pipe comes straight off the reactor with no isolation valves and only one spring operated normally open block valve to the turbine. (johndearmond.com)
  • Plumes of strontium-90 and heavy metals leaked into the groundwater, and trace amounts of tritium have been found in local milk and wine. (uchicago.edu)
  • Activity - the mean number of decays per unit time of a radioactive nuclide expressed as disintegrations per second. (cdc.gov)
  • BeyondNuclear targets advanced reactors like the IFR in the body with their 20 year development time. (whatisnuclear.com)
  • If cylinders are involved in long-lasting fires, large amounts of UF 6 can be released within a short time. (ratical.org)
  • The world at large learned of nuclear war pretty much at the same time as it learned of the existence of a "new" element, plutonium, about which we now know a great deal more than we did at the time of the announcement. (atomicinsights.com)
  • The exposure pathways analysis in Section III of this public health assessment indicates that radioactive materials were released from X-10 via White Oak Creek. (cdc.gov)
  • It's fine to have autonomy for a program that needs a certain amount of secrecy," says Mark Henry, the section manager for radiological emergency preparedness at the Washington State Department of Health. (uchicago.edu)
  • From World War II to the 1970s, the Oregon Public Health Division called the Columbia the most radioactive river in the world. (uchicago.edu)
  • We already have a set of environmental problems that are worse than a limited nuclear war, and may be facing an environmental crisis that might be as dire as a large scale nuclear war, specifically, a collapsing atmosphere. (atomicinsights.com)
  • Earlier versions of the fast breeder reactor were commercial failures and safety disasters. (whatisnuclear.com)
  • While the energy produced in a nuclear reactor could also be used in other industrial and chemical processes, these other uses have not been adopted (except in some isolated cases), due to concerns over safety, security, and cost. (nrdc.org)
  • The term background is also sometimes used in this report to indicate radioactive elements present in the environment that are not a direct result of SRS activities (e.g. atmospheric weapons testing fallout, see definition for fallout ). (cdc.gov)
  • This building was designed with the intent to withstand the tremendous energy of a massive release from an accident of some unknown origin," Slobodien told me, picking up one of the photographs. (ipsecinfo.org)
  • The amount of heat is higher than if you were to release energy through a chemical process such as burning . (getrevising.co.uk)
  • Fusion is the process in which energy released in stars . (getrevising.co.uk)
  • Nuclei approaching each other with the same charge will cause them to repel, meaning that it requires a large amount of energy to fuse them together. (getrevising.co.uk)
  • Yes nuclear plants take 4-5 years to build but when they are done they produce insane amounts of energy. (whatisnuclear.com)
  • The United States is the world's largest producer of nuclear energy, accounting for more than 30 percent of global nuclear electricity generation. (nrdc.org)
  • On March 30th, the IAEA and a US dept of Energy official both documented possible Plutonium release in their statements. (blogspot.com)
  • In addition, the amount of new oil and gas supplies that could ever come onstream from these projects would be minuscule as a share of the overall global energy market. (truthout.org)
  • Classified documents later released by the DOE show that biologists considered that it "may be necessary to close public fishing" at certain parts of the river, but public-relations and security concerns prevented them from speaking out. (uchicago.edu)
  • The larger problem of NRC regulatory capture will be dealt with, however, only when pressure from the concerned public outweighs that from the nuclear industry. (atomicinsights.com)
  • Rutherford and Soddy were observing natural transmutation as a part of radioactive decay of the alpha decay type. (wikipedia.org)
  • When the 'spent' rods are removed from the reactor core they are stored in pools with racks of rods at the bottom or dry casks , usually on site. (scientificamerican.com)
  • As the local newspaper, the Tri-City Herald, reports, this has happened multiple times in the last five years, such as when a building demolition released plutonium dust that blew for miles, or when plutonium and americium particles contaminated workers' cars, including a rental later returned to the company. (uchicago.edu)
  • Actinides - radioactive elements with atomic numbers equal to or greater than that of actinium (i.e., 88). (cdc.gov)
  • Transuranic elements are a subset of the actinide elements and include those with atomic numbers larger than uranium. (cdc.gov)
  • Actinide elements are all radioactive. (cdc.gov)