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Radioactive Waste
Radioactive waste contains radionuclides, which are unstable atoms produced in the decay process. According to Pollution Issues, there are 5000 identified natural and artificial radionuclides, each having a different half-life. Half-life values range from fractions of a second to billions of years. Because Uranium-238 has a half-life of 4.47 billion years, it will become inactive in approximately 9 billion years. Radioactive waste can be in solid, liquid, gas and sludge form, or a mixture of all three.
Health Effects
The health effects of radioactive waste are as numerous as the types of elements that cause them. Depending on the length of exposure, amount of radiation and the type of decay emission (alpha, beta or gamma), possible effects of radioactive waste include death, cancer and birth defects, such as mental retardation due to prenatal exposure. The United States Department of Energy recognizes at least 22 different cancers in workers at nuclear weapon production facilities. Decreased disease immunity is also an effect of exposure to radioactive waste,
Environmental Effects
Because there is no way to speed the decay of radioactive waste, the only known method of handling is to store it until rendered harmless. If not properly stored, the waste will travel through different ecological systems, ultimately affecting plants, animals and people . Excessive amounts of radioactive waste may cause vast areas of land to be uninhabitable, or useless for food production. Radioactive waste in water supplies makes it no longer potable, even for irrigation. When entered into the atmosphere, radioactive waste can travel great distances, affecting all ecosystems encountered.
Genetic Effects
All risks associated with radioactive waste have not been properly identified, as research on its effects over time are incomplete. According to the article "Radioactive Waste: What Health Effects, or Risks?" chronic exposure to radiation over time may cause an accumulation of DNA lesions, which may cause "delayed hereditary effects," increasing the possibility of cancers and other mutations in future generations. The ultimate effect of these DNA issues is unknown, as scientists believe they may be inactively transmitted over several generations before the mutations are manifested.