Radioactive waste has become an extremely acute problem of our time. If at the dawn of the development of the nuclear energy industry, few people thought about the need to store spent material, now this task has become extremely urgent. So why is everyone so worried?
Radioactivity
This phenomenon was discovered in connection with the study of the relationship between luminescence and X-rays. At the end of the 19th century, during a series of experiments with uranium compounds, the French physicist A. Becquerel discovered a previously unknown type of radiation passing through opaque objects. He shared his discovery with the Curies, who studied it closely. It was the world-famous Marie and Pierre who discovered that all uranium compounds, like pure uranium itself, as well as thorium, polonium and radium, have the property of natural radioactivity. Their contribution has been truly invaluable.
It later became known that all chemical elements, starting with bismuth, are radioactive in one form or another. Scientists also thought about how the process of nuclear decay could be used to generate energy, and were able to initiate and reproduce it artificially. And formeasuring the level of radiation radiation dosimeter was invented.
Application
Besides energy, radioactivity is widely used in other industries: medicine, industry, research and agriculture. With the help of this property, they learned to stop the spread of cancer cells, make more accurate diagnoses, find out the age of archaeological treasures, monitor the transformation of substances in various processes, etc. The list of possible applications of radioactivity is constantly expanding, so it is even surprising that the issue of disposal of waste materials has become so acute only in recent decades. But this is not just garbage that can be easily thrown into a landfill.
Radioactive waste
All materials have a lifespan. This is no exception for elements used in nuclear energy. The output is waste that still has radiation, but no longer has practical value. As a rule, used nuclear fuel, which can be reprocessed or used in other areas, is considered separately. In this case, we are just talking about radioactive waste (RW), the further use of which is not foreseen, so it is necessary to get rid of them.
Sources and Forms
Due to the variety of uses for radioactive materials, waste can also come in a variety of origins and conditions. They are either solid or liquid orgaseous. Sources can also be very different, since in one form or another such waste often occurs during the extraction and processing of minerals, including oil and gas, there are also such categories as medical and industrial radioactive waste. There are also natural sources. Conventionally, all these radioactive wastes are divided into low-, medium- and high-level. The United States also distinguishes the category of transuranic radioactive waste.
Options
For quite a long time it was believed that the disposal of radioactive waste does not require special rules, it was enough to disperse them into the environment. However, later it was discovered that isotopes tend to accumulate in certain systems, such as animal tissues. This discovery changed the opinion about radioactive waste, since in this case the probability of their movement and getting into the human body with food became quite high. Therefore, it was decided to develop some options for how to deal with this type of waste, especially for the high-level category.
Modern technologies make it possible to maximally neutralize the danger posed by radioactive waste by processing it in various ways or by placing it in a safe space for humans.
- Vitrification. In another way, this technology is called vitrification. At the same time, radioactive waste goes through several stages of processing, as a result of which a rather inert mass is obtained, which is placed in special containers. Then these containers are sent to storage.
- Synrock. It's stillone method of radioactive waste neutralization developed in Australia. In this case, a special complex compound is used in the reaction.
- Burial. At this stage, a search is underway for suitable places in the earth's crust where radioactive waste could be placed. The most promising is the project, according to which the spent material is returned to uranium mines.
- Transmutation. Reactors are already being developed that can turn highly radioactive waste into less dangerous substances. Simultaneously with the neutralization of waste, they are able to generate energy, so the technologies in this area are considered extremely promising.
- Removal into outer space. Despite the attractiveness of this idea, it has a lot of drawbacks. First, this method is quite costly. Secondly, there is the risk of a launch vehicle crash, which could be a disaster. Finally, the clogging of outer space with such waste after a while can turn into big problems.
Rules for disposal and storage
In Russia, the management of radioactive waste is regulated primarily by federal law and commentaries to it, as well as some related documents, such as the Water Code. According to the Federal Law, all radioactive waste must be buried in the most isolated places, while pollution of water bodies is not allowed, sending into space is also prohibited.
Each category has its own regulations, in addition, the criteria for classifying waste asone form or another and all the necessary procedures. However, Russia has a lot of problems in this area. Firstly, the disposal of radioactive waste may very soon become a non-trivial task, because there are not so many specially equipped storage facilities in the country, and they will be filled pretty soon. Secondly, there is no single system for managing the recycling process, which makes it very difficult to control.
International projects
Given that the storage of radioactive waste has become the most urgent after the cessation of the arms race, many countries prefer to cooperate in this matter. Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to reach a consensus in this area, but the discussion of various programs in the UN continues. The most promising projects seem to be to build a large international storage facility for radioactive waste in sparsely populated areas, usually in Russia or Australia. However, the citizens of the latter are actively protesting against this initiative.
Irradiation effects
Almost immediately after the discovery of the phenomenon of radioactivity, it became clear that it negatively affects the he alth and life of humans and other living organisms. The studies that the Curies conducted over several decades eventually led to a severe form of radiation sickness in Maria, although she lived to be 66 years old.
This ailment is the main consequence of human exposure to radiation. The manifestation of this disease and its severity mainly depend on the total radiation dose received. They canbe both fairly mild and cause genetic changes and mutations, thus affecting future generations. One of the first to suffer is the function of hematopoiesis, often patients have some form of cancer. At the same time, in most cases, the treatment turns out to be quite ineffective and consists only in observing the aseptic regimen and eliminating symptoms.
Prevention
Preventing a condition associated with exposure to radiation is quite simple - it is enough not to get into areas with its increased background. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, because many modern technologies involve active elements in one form or another. In addition, not everyone carries a portable radiation dosimeter with them in order to know that they are in an area where prolonged exposure can cause harm. However, there are certain measures to prevent and protect against dangerous radiation, although there are not many of them.
First, it's shielding. Almost everyone who came to x-ray a certain part of the body faced this. If we are talking about the cervical spine or the skull, the doctor suggests putting on a special apron, into which elements of lead are sewn, which does not allow radiation to pass through. Secondly, you can support the body's resistance by taking vitamins C, B6 and R. Finally, there are special preparations - radioprotectors. In many cases they are very effective.
