Why is there nuclear sewage?

The causes of nuclear sewage mainly include nuclear weapon test, nuclear accident or leakage, nuclear medicine, nuclear fuel storage and transportation.

1, nuclear weapon test

In the process of nuclear weapon test, a large amount of radioactive wastewater will be produced, including radioactive precipitation and groundwater pollution after explosion.

2. Nuclear accident or leakage

Nuclear accident, nuclear leakage or equipment failure may all lead to nuclear sewage. For example, the Fukushima nuclear accident caused a large amount of nuclear wastewater to flow into the ocean. The accident at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, USA, also produced a large amount of radioactive material leakage.

3. Nuclear medicine

In the field of nuclear medicine, radioactive substances are used for diagnosis or treatment, and the wastewater produced by medical institutions may contain radioactive isotopes.

4. Storage and transportation of nuclear fuel

Nuclear waste water such as tank leakage and equipment failure may occur in the process of nuclear fuel storage facilities and transportation.

Hazards of nuclear pollution:

1. Contaminated soil and water: The water contaminated by nuclear contains a lot of toxic substances and radioactive elements, which can easily cause serious pollution to soil and water if it is not handled properly.

2. Food safety: Radioactive elements contained in nuclear polluted water can enter human body through food chain and air.

3. Impact on biodiversity: Nuclear polluted water has serious toxicity to water organisms, affecting water biodiversity and ecological balance.

4. Reduce agricultural output: Nuclear pollution pollutes farmland, reduces farmland productivity, and is toxic to crops.

5. Safe time of nuclear sewage: The purification time of nuclear sewage may take several years or thousands of years, depending on the half-life and concentration of radioactive elements in wastewater. Some radioactive elements may have a half-life of only a few hours, while others may have a half-life of thousands of years.