The main causes of nuclear wastewater include nuclear weapons testing, nuclear accidents or leaks, nuclear medicine, and nuclear fuel storage and transportation.
1, nuclear weapons testing
The process of nuclear weapons testing produces a large amount of radioactive wastewater, including radioactive precipitation from the explosion and groundwater contamination.
2. Nuclear accidents or leaks
Nuclear accidents, leaks, or equipment failures can lead to the generation of nuclear wastewater. For example, the Fukushima nuclear accident resulted in a large amount of nuclear wastewater flowing into the ocean. The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, USA, also produced a large spill of radioactive material.
3. Nuclear medicine
The field of nuclear medicine uses radioactive substances for diagnosis or treatment, and wastewater generated by medical institutions may contain radioisotopes.
4, Nuclear Fuel Storage and Transportation
Nuclear waste water may be generated during nuclear fuel storage facilities and transportation, such as tank leakage and equipment failure.
Nuclear Pollution Hazards:
1, contamination of soil and water: nuclear contaminated water contains a large number of toxic substances and radioactive elements, and if not properly handled, it is easy to cause serious contamination of soil and water.
2, food safety: radioactive elements contained in nuclear contaminated water can enter the human body through the food chain, air and other channels.
3, affecting biodiversity: nuclear contaminated water is seriously toxic to water organisms, affecting water biodiversity and ecological balance.
4. Reducing agricultural production: nuclear contaminated water pollutes farmland, reduces the productivity of farmland and poisons crops.
5. Safe time for nuclear wastewater: Nuclear wastewater purification may take years or thousands of years, depending on the half-life and concentration of radioactive elements in the wastewater. The half-life of some radioactive elements may be only a few hours, while the half-life of others may be thousands of years.