Where Did The Radiation Come From?
Table of Contents
Where did the radiation come from?
Without realizing it, we live in an environment full of radiation. Radiation has been part of our environment since this world was created, not only since nuclear power was discovered half a century ago. There are more than 60 radionuclides based on their origin divided into 2 categories:
Natural radionuclides: radionuclides formed naturally, are divided into two, namely:
Primordial: This radionuclide has existed since the earth was created.
Cosmogenic: This radionuclide is formed as a result of cosmic ray interactions.
Man-made radionuclides: radionuclides formed by humans.
Radionuclides are found in air, water, soil, even in our bodies. Every day we are exposed to radiation, both from the air we breathe, from the food we consume and from the water we drink. There is no place on this earth that is free of radiation.
Primordial
Primordial radionuclides have existed since the universe was formed. In general, these radionuclides have a long half-life.
Cosmogenic
The source of cosmic radiation comes from outside our solar system and can be a variety of radiation. This cosmic radiation interacts with the earth's atmosphere and forms radioactive nuclides, most of which have a short half-life, although some also have a long half-life. Man-made
Humans have used radioactive material for more than 100 years. Some interesting facts from natural radioactivity
Human body
The human body consists of chemicals, some of which are radionuclides derived from food and water that we consume every day. Building Materials
The building materials in the house that we occupy also contain radioactive materials. Natural Nuclear reactors at Oklo
In 1972, at Oklo (one of the areas in Gabon, West Africa) natural nuclear reactors were discovered which operated around 1.7 billion years ago.
The reactor was discovered by French geologists when they examined samples at the Okura uranium mine. In general, U-235 which is a nuclear reactor nuclear nuclide has an abundance of about 0.7202%. The French geologists found that the abundance of U-235 at Oklo reached 0.7171%. Although the difference is very small, the experts are interested in further research. They were surprised when they found samples that had an abundance of only 0.44%. This difference can only be explained if the U-235 has been used as fuel in a nuclear reactor.
In further research, several abundant fission products have been found in 6 nearby locations. Fission products are radioactive materials due to U-235 cleavage reactions that occur in nuclear reactors. In this location, radioactive neodymium material has also been found, whose abundance is almost the same as that found in today's nuclear reactors. This proves that nature was able to make a nuclear reactor at 1.7 billion years ago, something new humans could do in the 20th century.
Areas of High Natural Radiation
Some regions of the earth have natural radiation that is higher than the average on the surface of the earth, for example in India and Brazil. In certain areas of the country, the surface of the land is covered by a black material called monazite sand, which is a derivative of uranium deposits. Monazite sand covers a relatively large area with a large population. Radiation levels at a height of half a meter from the ground can be more than 20 times that of other regions of natural radiation. Research in these populations, including residents who lived in the area for generations, found no abnormalities, trends in cancer or other radiation-related illnesses.
An interesting thing about this fact is that radioactive sand is believed to have the effect of curing diseases. Some people are willing to pay to lie on land that has a relatively high radiation level or soak in water containing radioactive elements for days to cure the disease. However, there is no record of the presence of people who are sick or who recover from illness after doing so.