Radioactive Wastes
Radioactive wastes, must for the protection of mankind be stored or
disposed in such a manner that isolation from the biosphere is assured until
they have decayed to innocuous levels. If this is not done, the world could face
severe physical problems to living species living on this planet.
Some atoms can disintegrate spontaneously. As they do, they emit
ionizing radiation. Atoms having this property are called radioactive. By far
the greatest number of uses for radioactivity in Canada relate not to the
fission, but to the decay of radioactive materials - radioisotopes. These are
unstable atoms that emit energy for a period of time that varies with the
isotope. During this active period, while the atoms are 'decaying' to a stable
state their energies can be used according to the kind of energy they emit.
Since the mid 1900's radioactive wastes have been stored in different
manners, but since several years new ways of disposing and......
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