Nuclear power and radiation

Nuclear power is controversial and there is an ongoing debate about the use of nuclear energy due to accidents that could occur causing great harm to all living beings and also the environment. A hot topic these days the world over is the threat posed by the increasing levels of radiation from the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan .

Many of you who are not familiar with nuclear energy and radiation must be wondering what the fuss is all about .So, let us first enlighten you about it. Nuclear power is produced by controlled (i.e., non-explosive) nuclear reactions.

Many commercial and utility plants in various countries such as the USA ,Japan and France currently use nuclear power especially to generate electricity. ( nuclear fission reactions are used to heat water to produce steam, which is then used to generate electricity.) About six per cent of the world's energy and 13-14 per cent of the world's electricity is generated by nuclear power. Di d you know that the US, France and Japan together account for about 50 per cent of nuclear generated electricity in the world?Nuclear power is not only used to obtain electricity but also used for various other purposes some of which are dangerous such as nuclear weapons.

At present, apart from nuclear power plants there are also more than 150 naval vessels using nuclear propulsion.

While some say that nuclear power is a sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions those who are anti-nuclear, such as Greenpeace International , believe that nuclear power poses many threats to people and the environment.

However, the many serious nuclear and radiation accidents that have occurred such as the Three Mile Island accident (1979),the Chernobyl disaster (1986) and the Fukushima nuclear accidents which happened following the earthquake and tsunami recently have made many think twice about using nuclear power. Since everyone is worried about the increasing radiation levels at the Fukushima nuclear plantlet's check out some interesting facts about nuclear radiation .

Nuclear radiation comes from the nucleus of an atom. Substances that give out radiation are said to be radioactive.

Nuclear radiation can be both extremely beneficial and dangerous depending on how one uses it. The uses of radiation include smoke detectors, paper-thickness gauges, treating cancer and sterilising medical equipment. X-ray machines and nuclear power plants also use nuclear radiation -- but so do nuclear weapons. Nuclear materials (that is, s­ubstances that emit nuclear radiation) are fairly common and have found their way into our normal vocabularies in many different ways.

It is natural for radio active substances to give out radiation all of the time.Nuclear radiation occurs in three ways : alpha, beta and gamma. Alpha is the least penetrating, while gamma is the most penetrating. Radiation can be absorbed by substances in its path. For example, alpha radiation travels only a few centimetres in air, beta radiation travels tens of centimetres in air, while gamma radiation travels many metres. All types of radiation become less intense the further the distance from the radioactive material, as the particles or rays become more spread out. The thicker the substance, the more the radiation is absorbed.

The three types of radiation penetrate materials in different ways.

Penetrative properties of different types of radiation are as follows;Alpha radiation is the least penetrating and can be stopped (or absorbed) by even a sheet of paper while Beta radiation can penetrate air and paper.

It can be stopped by a thin sheet of aluminium.Gamma radiation is the most penetrating and even small levels can penetrate air, paper or thin metal. Higher levels can only be stopped by many centimetres of lead, or many metres of concrete.

The biological effects of radiation(in terms of effects on living cells) can be harmful depending on the type and period of exposure.

Facts: Internet

Teenager sits exam from hospital bed

With the number of natural disasters taking place in the world increasing lately it is difficult to keep track of the many happy or sad stories filtering in from the aftermath of such events.

As the world's attention was recently focused mainly on the twin disasters that struck Japan;the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the massive tsunami,the earthquake that hit Yingiang province in China almost paled in significance beside it.

However, the damage experienced and the loss of life was equally devastating to the residents of China's Yingiang province.

Lameng village was one of the hardest hit areas during the Yingjiang earthquake. Only six of the village's 56 houses survived the deadly earthquake, leaving all 262 local residents living in temporary homes provided by the government.

With all of the local men busy rebuilding their community, the women voluntarily set up a canteen to cook for the whole village.

Here is a story about a teenager whose courage and determination should be taken as an example by those who face such difficult situations in life....

Shao Xinwei was an optimistic 18-year-old from Lameng village.

She hurt her leg during the earthquake and was sad that she could not sit for o her college entrance exam.But the government took note of her situation and permitted her to do the exam from her sickbed.And the brave teenager did so. Lying on her bed, Shao began her English listening test. Shao says that though she was a little bit nervous answering papers alone, she was glad to have a second chance to pursue her dreams.

" When my doctor told me I couldn't leave my bed for the test, I was very sad. Missing the English listening test means I won't have a high enough score to get into medical school. I'm glad the government gave me a chance to take the test in hospital." The governmentwent one step further to ensure that this young girl had the opportunity to sit for her test.

They also suspended the nearby reconstruction work for an hour to ensure a quiet test environment for the budding student. Right at nine thirty in the morning, Shao finished her test. She said that even though her leg still hurt, she will continue with her tests.

-Courtesy : CCTV