Nuclear Technology

By Jessica Luchka Chemistry 20 Module 1 Assignment 1

Nuclear technology is a technology that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. Throughout the years its development has been found to be useful in peoples everyday lives. You can find nuclear technology in a variety of places such as smoke detectors, gun sights, as well as all sorts of medical uses. However, many people worry about the long term affects the use of nuclear technology could have on our society, environment, and most importantly our health. Because this technology has not been around for very long we have yet to discover how everyday people who dont necessarily work with the technology everyday will be affected. In this essay I will present the pros and the cons of nuclear technology and make a decision as to my position on the subject. Firstly what is nuclear technology? As stated above, nuclear technology is a technology that harnesses the energy that is generated when an atomic nucleus is hit with energetic particles, as in fission, fusion, or radioactive decay. Here in Canada we are lucky to have the example of the CANDU reactor to study. The CANDU power plant is able to create power in the same fashion as a fossil fuel station. Heat is generated by burning fuel, and that heat is used to drive a steam turbine. A typical coal plant burns coal and air and produces mostly carbon dioxide and some fly ash; however the CANDU burns nuclear fuel instead. When all the fuel is burned it is removed from the reactor and stored. After being exposed to radiation in the reactor the fuel is stored under water because water is a good shield from radiation and the water takes the heat away from the fuel. After being cooled for approximately seven years, the fuel is then stored in fuel canisters on land. The Pros of nuclear technology are many. Ever since it was discovered people have been trying to harness nuclear power to enhance and develop existing technology and to invent new technology. Nuclear science and technology improves our life in many ways and in many different areas. It makes our food safer though the process of irraidiation which kills germs and bacteria that could cause illness. The technology has also improved the quality of tools and machines which now function more efficiently. Nuclear technologies can now diagnose abnormalities of the metabolism and treat cancers which is perhaps its most effective use in some peoples minds. It is also one of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly ways of generating electricity. As seen above nuclear technology is a blessing to society in many ways. Despite nuclear technology being useful for saving lives, when people hear the terms nuclear technology or power they cant get the images of places like Hiroshima, Japan and Chernobyl, Ukraine out of their minds. These places were two of the few to be seriously affected by nuclear destruction. Hiroshima had an atomic bomb dropped on it near the end of the Second World War leading to hundreds of thousands of people being killed or badly hurt. In Chernobyl errors made by workers, along with poor reactor design and engineering, contributed to overheating in the reactors core which caused it to explode. Hundreds of people died and many others felt the effect of radiation poisoning. Instances

of thyroid cancer have risen dramatically in the towns surrounding Chernobyl. It will be many more years before the effects of this disaster will be fully known. Another problem people find is how to dispose of nuclear waste. The CANDU reactors waste is disposed of as stated before but not all countries take as much care. The nuclear fission process produces large amounts of radioactive isotopes. Isotopes are are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Some of the isotopes from the nuclear process have rather long half-lives. A half-life is the period of time it takes for a substance to undergo decay enough to decrease by half. Isotopes from the process are only safe after ten half-lives, which is a problem when dealing with the waste products of a fission reactor right now. The cons of using nuclear technology are frightening to think about and the consequences could be deadly. Everyone will have a different opinion of nuclear technology and how it should be used but before making a decision it is a good idea to look at the facts. Yes, there have been tragedies along the way in nuclear technologies advancement but those stories are circumstances that we today can learn from. I believe that it is wrong to use nuclear technology as a weapon. The destruction it causes is not justifiable and the long term effects on the people who encounter it unprotected is not even fully understood yet. I do think that using nuclear technology to make peoples lives better is the right way to use it. Cure cancer, rid foods of bacteria that are harmful and improve the way existing technology works; these are the proper ways I believe nuclear technology should be used.

Bibliography
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http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/02/nuclear-energy-pros-and-cons/ Triplepundit.com September 15, 2011