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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.