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Naturally Occurring Radiation:
Uranium
By: Ali Mir
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Uranium is EVERYWHERE
Uranium is usually in rocks and when soil or
water breaks it down, it is taken up by plants,
people, or animals.
Uranium is widely distributed across the
Earth (World Nuclear).
Large amounts of Uranium or deposits can
be found in countries like Algeria, Argentina,
Australia and Belgium.
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Uranium has
different decay
chains/series Since Uranium has
three differentisotopes, it undergoesdifferent types of decaycycles.
Uranium 238 decays toThorium 234 through
an alpha decay cycle. Uranium 235 decays to
Thorium 231 throughan alpha decay cycle.
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Is Uranium harmful?
An excess of uranium in the human body can
be very harmful.
It can lead to an increased cancer risk and
liver damage (EPA).
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How can we protect ourselves?
If you are living in an area which has an excessof Uranium radiation, you MUST move away.
It is possible to wear protective gear to stop
some radiation. However, this method is veryimpractical.
You could inject yourself with active chemicals
that reduce the harm produced by radiation,but these chemicals can have their own sideaffects.
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What is Uranium used for?
Uranium metal is used in many military appliancesand weapons.
Enriched uranium is used by many nuclear-propelled ships, submarines, and nuclear weapons.
The most common use of uranium in the publicsector is to fuel commercial nuclear power plants.
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Radiation Used by Humans and Technology:
Uranium in nuclear power plants
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What fields use Uranium in power
plants?
Uranium is usually used in the civilian sector in
order to power nuclear power plants.
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Advantages and disadvantages of using
Uranium Uranium is VERY abundant.
Is cheap to extract
Todays technology can extend its*Uraniums+ use 60-fold if demandsrequire it (New Mexico, Dana)
Nuclear power plants are expensiveto build.
Nuclear waste is highly-radioactiveand can be hazardous. (NewMexico, Dana)
Nuclear companies take fullresponsibility of nuclear waste.
Uranium is used in almost allnuclear power plants and thus isvery common.
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Uranium and its wastes
The wastes produced by a nuclearpower plant are highly radioactive.
Fortunately, more than 97% *of
the waste+ is reprocessed and only3% is disposed of.
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Other important information on
Uranium
Many countries are starting to rely on nuclear
power plants that use Uranium.
The energy from these power plants has
minimal pollution and requires minimal
energy expenditure.
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Bibliography
"Energy for the World Why Uranium?." World Nuclear
Association. World Nuclear Association, Dec. 2012. Web. 10 June
2013.
S, Dana. "New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral
Resources." New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.
"US Environmental Protection Agency." EPA. Environmental
Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.
"Where Can Uranium Be Found?" Texas Groundwater Protection
Committee. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.
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Images
"E=mc^2." E=mc^2 - Einstein's Equation Explained with Worked
Examples. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.
"NSSPI Events." Educating the Next Generation of Leaders inNuclear Security Sciences. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.
"The Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements." The
Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements. N.p., n.d. Web. 10
June 2013. Stephens, Tim. "Currents Online." Currents Online. N.p., n.d. Web.
10 June 2013.
"Today on Naval Technology." Naval Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 10
June 2013. "True Blue Sky?"Act Now to Protect Utah: Support Cleaner Cars
and More Renewables. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.