All waste that contains radioactive materials is radioactive waste. They are by-products of a generation of nuclear energy, nuclear technology or nuclear fission and are dangerous to all living organisms and the environment. The changes taking place in the nuclear reactor make radioactive waste more deadly than any other source of energy. From its external appearance, the radioactive waste is the same as that of the nuclear fuel that was loaded into the reactor. However, after nuclear reactions, the critical components of radioactive waste are small atoms called fission products. These fission products include harmful radioactive isotopes with different elements such as alkaline metals, halogens and even free noble gases. These elements in the waste are what make it dangerously radioactive by remaining in that state for thousands of years. Any exposure to radioactive waste by any living organism leads to death from acute radiation sickness.
Composition
The general composition of radioactive waste was considered harmful to all living things on the planet and the environment. The waste has a significant number of radionuclides which are atoms with excess nuclear energy which makes them unstable and emit ionizing radiation during the radioactive decay process which is extremely dangerous. These radionuclide isotopes emit various types of radiation at different levels that last for different periods of time and as such make it difficult for the scientist to find the perfect disposal site. One of these radioactive elements derived from waste is plutonium-239, which remains extremely dangerous for all humans and living beings for thousands of years.
Sources of radioactive waste
There are several sources of radioactive waste. In countries with several nuclear power plants and nuclear fuel treatment centers, a high volume of radioactive waste will be emitted by the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear weapons processing. There are other significant sources of this type of waste in addition to nuclear production facilities such as industrial and medical waste found around the world. The processing of coal, gas and oil emits compounds that, once concentrated, lead to NORM (naturally occurring radioactive materials) that are widely recognized as a source of radioactive waste.
Classification
The classification of radioactive waste has been classified according to the nations. The tailing of the mill is one of the classifications of radioactive waste and normally contains traces of uranium and other compounds such as radium and thorium. The tailings of the uranium mill are the waste residues of the mineral containing the uranium processing plants. Scientifically, they have been found to be not highly radioactive in nature. The LLW (low level waste) is a classification of radioactive waste derived from the hospital and from industrial waste. To this category are added paper, clothes and other articles that contain extremely low amounts of radioactivity that have a short life.
Prevention
The radioactive waste has a quantity of 90% of uranium equal to 90% of unused fuel. The recycling of this waste will lead to the generation of new energy, thus reducing the amount of waste on the planet. This can occur when nuclear waste is chemically transformed into a closed fuel cycle to prevent the emission of more waste and increase the extraction of clean energy.
