P2.6 Benefits and drawbacks of using radioactive materials

Question 1

What does phosphoresces mean?

Answer 1

Emits light

Question 2

Who discovered radioactivity?

Answer 2

Henri Becquerel

Question 3

What can ionising radiation cause?

Answer 3

• tissue damage such as reddened skin (radiation burns)

- cancer from mutations

Question 4

How is cancer caused by ionising radiation?

Answer 4

It damages the DNA inside the cell causing mutations, which may make the cell malfunction and cause cancer

Question 5

How can you decrease the risk of radioactive substances?

Answer 5

• decreasing the distance from the source
• not pointing the sources at people
• keeping sources in a lead-lined container

Question 6

What does HLW stand for?

Answer 6

High level waste

Question 7

For how long does HLW produce ionising radiation for?

Answer 7

50 years

Question 8

What does LLW stand for?

Answer 8

Low level waste

Question 9

How is high level waste transported?

Answer 9

Inside concrete and steel containers which absorb radiation

Question 10

How is HLW stored?

Answer 10

The concrete and steel containers are sealed in a glass top to stop radioactive material escaping and stored in canisters until the waste is less radioactive

Question 11

How is ILW stored?

Answer 11

In concrete and steel containers

Question 12

How is LLW stored?

Answer 12

It’s compacted and buried in special landfill sites because of the possibility of radioactive material leaking into soil or water

Question 13

What are three methods of disposal of nuclear waste?

Answer 13

• firing it into space
• dumping barrels at sea
• storage underground

Question 14

What is the disadvantage of firing nuclear waste into space?

Answer 14

The launch vehicle could fall back on to Earth, spreading radioactive material over a wide area

Question 15

What is the disadvantage of dumping barrels of nuclear waste at sea?

Answer 15

The barrels can corrode and release radioactive materials that could enter the food chain

Question 16

What condition must a site meet in order for nuclear waste to be stored underground?

Answer 16

It needs to be geologically stable(low risk of earthquakes)

Question 17

Does a nuclear power station itself produce carbon dioxide?

Answer 17

No

Question 18

What part in the process of making nuclear power might contribute to global warming?

Answer 18

The making of the fuel rods

Question 19

Why does nuclear waste have to be stored for tens of thousands of years?

Answer 19

So that the radioactivity has decreased to safer levels

Question 20

Why do some people think nuclear power is unsafe?

Answer 20

Because of the risk of accidents

Question 21

What does activity in a radioactive substance mean?

Answer 21

The number of nuclear decays per second

Question 22

What is the activity of a radioactive substance measured in?

Answer 22

Becquerel (Bq)

Question 23

Why can’t you predict when radioactive decay will happen?

Answer 23

It is a random process

Question 24

What is half-life?

Answer 24

The time taken for half the unstable nuclei in a sample of a radioactive isotope to decay

Question 25

What happens to the activity of a substance as it gets more stable nuclei?

Answer 25

It gets lower

Question 26

How is the radioactivity of a source measured?

Answer 26

By using a Geiger-Müller (GM) tube

Question 27

What can be used to model radioactive decay?

Answer 27

Flipping a coin

Question 28

Why is flipping a coin an effective model for radioactive decay?

Answer 28

• both have two options (heads/tails and decayed/undecayed)

- both are a random process

Question 29

What is background radiation?

Answer 29

Low levels of ionising radiation from space and naturally radioactive substances in the environment

Question 30

What must scientists subtract when getting the reading of the activity of a source?

Answer 30

The background count

Question 31

What causes half of background radiation in the UK?

Answer 31

Radon gas

Question 32

Where does radon gas come from?

Answer 32

The decay of uranium in rocks

Question 33

What is the half-life of radon?

Answer 33

3.8 days

Question 34

What does radon give out when it decays?

Answer 34

An alpha particle

Question 35

What does the amount of radon in the air depend on?

Answer 35

• the type of rock it’s coming from

- its uranium content

Question 36

How can you get rid of radon in a house?

Answer 36

By using a radon outlet pipe

Question 37

When is radiation used to sterilise things?

Answer 37

When the equipement being sterilised cannot be heated instead