Radioactive waste and its latent danger

Natural and artificial sources of radioactivity

  
NATURAL SOURCES OF IONIZATION RADIATION
Biosphere is situated in the field of radiation that has existed for millions years. This field consists basically of two sources - extraterrestrial (cosmic) and terrestrial. The components of the natural radioactive background are the natural radioactivity of ground, natural activity of atmosphere, natural radioactivity of water, and cosmic radiation. A typical value of the effective dose obtained by an individual from the natural radioactive background is about 2.5 mSv annually. Generally the most significant impact on the radiation exposure comes from natural sources of gaseous radon and its daughter products. This radioactive gas that occurs in nature together with uranium and thorium ores, decays by alpha decay and is dangerous in breathing as it causes internal irradiation. Radon has the largest impact on the exposure of inhabitants in such houses and flats that are built on improper soils.

The outlines of values of radiation exposure from various sources

ARTIFICIAL SOURCES OF IONIZATION RADIATION
Besides natural radioactivity, the radiation background has been increased artificially due to the evolution of civilization. The artificial sources of radiation that have currently the highest impact on the environment and population are as follows:

• medicine sources of ionization radiation,
• nuclear explosions,
• consumer products,
• nuclear power plants and their fuel cycle.

   
Among the medicine sources of ionization radiation, medicine radiodiagnostic (roentgen) has a dominant position. Patients from a major part of the population are irradiated by relatively high doses. The average whole-body radiation exposure of an individual, which he obtains from medicine sources of ionization radiation, can be estimated in our conditions as 0,6 mSv/annually.
The tests of nuclear weapons (mainly in the atmosphere) resulted in a radioactive fall that spread practically around the whole globe. It peaked at the end of 1962 when nuclear powers USSR and USA carried out a lot of test explosions of thermonuclear weapons. Since that time the amount of nuclear arm tests has decreased, however, unfortunately, even these days tests are carried out in certain countries (India, Pakistan, and China). The radiation exposure resulting from nuclear explosions is higher by a factor of more than two than the exposure from natural sources.

The mostly distributed household appliance that produces roentgen radiation is color TV apparatus. The annual total radiation exposure from consumer products represents about a hundredth of the exposure from natural sources.
The contribution of the operation of nuclear power plants including the whole fuel cycle is less significant than the medicine use of the ionization radiation or from nuclear explosions. The limit for the effective dose for individual from the population is 1 mSv/annually. However, the actual values achieved in our conditions are lower by the factor of hundreds to thousands. The peaceful utilization of nuclear power sources thus has a relatively small contribution to the artificial sources of ionization radiation. The public opinions and concerns often do not correspond to these facts.