REN R360 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Radon, Nuclear Weapons Testing, Plutonium
Document Summary
Exposure led to increase in thyroid cancer and benign thyroid nodules. Disturbances in growth were also noted among exposed children. To estimate exposure, we used a mathematical dispersion model, which accounted for modifying factors such as weather, wine, and terrain and which was validated against readings from offsite dosimeters. A special health hazard associated with nuclear power is the production of vast inventories of radioactive wastes. Low-level wastes have been stored at a number of waste dumps. One unique aspect of the danger associated with radioactive wastes derives not only from the extreme toxicity of these materials but also from the great longitivity of many of their isotopes. Radon represents over half of all the ionizing radiation exposures of the general population. Radon is gas can accumulate to high levels in enclosed spaces, such as underground mines and the basements of residences. The decay products of radon, called radon progeny, attach to dust particles.