High level contamination

Low level contamination

Surface contamination

Radioactive contamination

Consequences of a nuclear power plant assault

Further studies

I have not been able to research all aspects regarding what potential effects the activation of the Reactor Protective System will have in case of an attack, a single source blast destroying the reactor.

What will happen if the plant workers manage to activate the RPS system and successfully shut the reactor down before it is destroyed? Will it severely hinder the potential damage caused (leakage)? What is the effect of a blast that destroys an on-line reactor vs. an off-line reactor?

See more information about various nuclear reactors:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_reactor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Containment_building

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_water_reactor

Radioactive contamination, also called radiological contamination, is the uncontrolled distribution of radioactive material in a given environment.

Surface contamination is usually expressed in units of radioactivity per unit of area. For SI, this is becquerels per square meter (or Bq/m²). Surface contamination may either be fixed or removable. In the case of fixed contamination, the radioactive material cannot by definition be spread, but it is still measurable.

In practice there is no such thing as zero radioactivity. Not only is the entire world constantly bombarded by cosmic rays, but every living creature on earth contains significant quantities of carbon-14 and most (including humans) contain significant quantities of potassium-40. These tiny levels of radiation are not any more harmful than sunlight, but just as excessive quantities of sunlight can be dangerous, so too can excessive levels of radiation.

The hazards to people and the environment from radioactive contamination depend on the nature of the radioactive contaminant, the level of contamination, and the extent of the spread of contamination. Low levels of radioactive contamination pose little risk, but can still be detected by radiation instrumentation. In the case of low-level contamination by isotopes with a short half-life, the best course of action may be to simply allow the material to naturally decay. Longer-lived isotopes should be cleaned up and properly disposed of, because even a very low level of radiation can be life-threatening when in long exposure to it.

High levels of contamination may pose major risks to people and the environment. People can be exposed to potentially lethal radiation levels, both externally and internally, from the spread of contamination following an accident (or a deliberate initiation) involving large quantities of radioactive material.

Radioactive iodine is a common fission product; it was a major component of the radiation released from the Chernobyl disaster, leading to nine fatal cases of pediatric thyroid cancer and hypothyroidism.

Дата добавления: 2015-05-31