Lab 6: Radioactivity

The State called as an expert witness C. Michael Hoffman, an employee of the United States Treasury Department, experienced in the examination of physical evidence by neutron activation analysis. The process, "is fundamentally one where the material to be analyzed is first made radioactive so that it will give off or emit radiation in the form of gamma rays. This radioactive sample is then exposed to a scintillation crystal; and every time a gamma ray interacts with the crystal, it emits a flash of light, which is transformed into an electrical pulse whose voltage is proportional to the energy of the gamma rays. An electronic device will then sort the electrical impulses into different energy groups and will add up the pulses in each group. The results are then graphed on an oscilloscope screen.

It was the most exceedingly terrible mischance in U.S. business atomic force plant history. The episode was evaluated a five on the seven-point International Nuclear Event Scale: Accident With Wider Consequences. For the third phase, Chernobyl subsequent studies for U.S. reactors were accounted for in June 1992 in NUREG-1422, "Synopsis of Chernobyl Follow-up Research Activities." That report finished off the Chernobyl subsequent examination program, however certain issues will keep on accepting consideration in the ordinary course of NRC work.

He shows his readers that after 300 years, the radioactivity would be much lower than at first. The question for Muller is, is there a 1% chance that a large enough earthquake will release 100% of the nuclear waste? If not, then the radio activity levels of the waste are lower than that of the original uranium that was in the

An isotope is an element with a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. Countless variations of isotopes exist in the world with various applications in different fields. One such isotope is Uranium 235 which is most known for its use in the Uranium Bomb, a massive bomb capable of destroying entire cities. It is found naturally in the environment and can be made from U238.

Nuclear Fission is a process that was discovered by German scientists, Otto Hahn, and his assistant Fritz Strassman on December 17, 1938. Nuclear Fission is a process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts. This will release free photons and neutrons, and releases a large amount of energy. If this energy is controlled, it can be used for nuclear energy for nuclear power plants. On the contrary, this process can be used uncontrollably in atomic bombs, such as the ones dropped in World War II.

Miners of uranium and plutonium for nuclear bombs have higher rates of lung cancers than non-miners. Areas close to nuclear test zones still have higher levels of radiation than normal even after more than 50 years and the surrounding areas and the residents have higher chances of certain cancers. The author supports their claims with statistics and facts. b. Douglas Holdstock was a noted doctor and gastroenterologist at Ashford Hospital in Middlesex in the United Kingdom who focused on the effects of radioactivity and nuclear weapons on health. He is an expert in the field publishing several books and articles on the effects of radiation on health.

In conclusion, Fukushima disaster was the most catastrophic disaster of the decade. The meltdown of the three nuclear reactors caused radiation to be released into the surroundings to this date. Even though the disaster did not cause any casualties at the time, but because of the radiation leak more than 1,232 nuclear related deaths have occurred in the past 4 years. Nuclear related deaths have not occurred directly from radiation but from radiation related diseases like cancer and tumor.

This produced atoms of meitnerium-266, an isotope with a half-life of about 3.8 milliseconds (0.0038 seconds), and a free neutron. It decays into bohrium-274 through alpha decay. Since only small amounts of meitnerium

The use of the atomic bomb saved lives by preventing an invasion of Japan that could have resulted in up to 1 million casualties. Though Katharine was in favor of the discovery of nuclear fission, she was very opposed to the use of the atomic bomb; however, her intentions of not using the weapon were in vein. Having risen to prominence as a scientist despite the gender discrimination she faced, Katharine gathered the strength to help the military of the United States in an effort to end World War II as quickly as possible. Instead of aligning herself with weapons of mass destruction, she used her intelligence to aid the cause of humanity and prevent future use of such weapons. During World War II, Way refused to put her knowledge to harmful

In our society, the need for a clean and reliable source of power is in high demand. Nuclear power may be a source of this energy. This energy comes from nuclear fission. Uranium-235 is hit with neutrons and this starts a chain reaction that generates a lot of heat. Water is then converted into steam that is used to spin turbines to generate power.

Radioactive material can result in burns, toxicity, increased rates of cancer, decay of the bones and diseases of the blood. Radioactivity is tasteless and odorless and encourages the change of electrical charges in the body. If exposed to enough radiation it allows cells to freely convert into cancer cells. Humans have the ability to handle a specific amount of radioactivity before deemed dangerous. A nuclear reactor releases a small amount of radioactive particles into the atmosphere during normal function.

It reacted instantly with the air because there was no vacuum tubes between it and the reactor. Lila has first degree burns, she'll be alright. The explosion smashed the glass out. It's nice to get some fresh air, but who knows what kind of radiation is out there. I'm beginning to starve and I can see myself losing wait by the minute.

One major problem with Rutherford’s “neutron theory”—not much evidence. Evidence was difficult to come by. Such a “neutron” would prove difficult to detect with 1920s equipment. Detection methods of that day mainly relied on the electrical charges of particles revealing their presence—but neutrons, having no electrical charge, would leave no trace. In 1930, the physicists Walther Bothe and Herbert Becker bombarded beryllium with alpha particles (helium nuclei) emitted from the radioactive element polonium, and they found that the beryllium gave off an unusual, electrically neutral radiation.

Throughout the last 30 years, the management of risks linked with the operation of major accident hazard facilities has been soaring high on the corporate agenda. This has been driven by an amount of major accidents including Flixborough (1974), Bhopal (1984), Piper-Alpha (1988) and, more recently, Enschede (2000), Toulouse (2001), Fluxys (2004) and Texas City (2005). The root causes and impacts of other acute and serious accidents at large civilian nuclear power plants are examined and assessed, for example the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, the Chernobyl accident in 1986, and the Fukushima Daiichi accident in 2011. Impacts comprise health effects, evacuation of contaminated areas as well as cost estimates and impacts on energy policies and nuclear safety work in different and diverse countries. It is deduced that essential objectives for reactor safety work must be to avert accidents from developing into severe core damage, even if they are commenced by very unlikely natural or man-made events, and, identifying accidents with severe core damage may notwithstanding occur, to avert large-scale and long-lived ground contamination by restricting releases of radioactive nuclides such as cesium to less than about 100 TBq.

The ability of radiation to damage DNA and kill cells, increases in actively dividing cells, such as cancer cells. That is, rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells, are more prone to radiation damage and are more likely to be killed by it. This is why radiation is used as a cancer therapy (radiotherapy). However, because exposure to radiation is a serious hazard, all staff working in areas where ionizing radiation is a risk, needs to adhere to strict safety regulations. Protective equipment, such as a lead apron, must be worn.