What type of radiation is emitted by uranium 238

More than 99 percent of the uranium found in the environment is in the form of U Uranium is less than one percent of all forms of natural uranium, but is much more radioactive. It gives off almost half of the radioactivity from all forms of uranium found in the environment. The U. The first is to mine rock that contains uranium. The second is to use strong chemicals to dissolve uranium from underground rocks into ground water, and then pump the water to the surface. The waste from these processes is more radioactive than the natural rock because the natural radioactive material in the earth is now exposed and concentrated.

This waste can contaminate water, soil and air if it is not disposed of properly. Uranium eventually decays to radium. Radium decays to release a radioactive gas called radon. Radon in underground uranium mines is a greater radiation hazard to miners than uranium.

Without precautions i. These three kinds of radiation have very different properties in some respects but are all ionizing radiation—each is energetic enough to break chemical bonds, thereby possessing the ability to damage or destroy living cells. Uranium, the most prevalent isotope in uranium ore, has a half-life of about 4.

Uranium decays by alpha emission into thorium, which itself decays by beta emission to protactinium, which decays by beta emission to uranium, and so on.

After several more alpha and beta decays, the series ends with the stable isotope lead Uranium emits alpha particles which are less penetrating than other forms of radiation, and weak gamma rays As long as it remains outside the body, uranium poses little health hazard mainly from the gamma-rays. If inhaled or ingested, however, its radioactivity poses increased risks of lung cancer and bone cancer. Uranium is also chemically toxic at high concentrations and can cause damage to internal organs, notably the kidneys.

Animal studies suggest that uranium may affect reproduction, the developing fetus, [1] and increase the risk of leukemia and soft tissue cancers. The property of uranium important for nuclear weapons and nuclear power is its ability to fission, or split into two lighter fragments when bombarded with neutrons releasing energy in the process. Of the naturally-occuring uranium isotopes, only uranium can sustain a chain reaction— a reaction in which each fission produces enough neutrons to trigger another, so that the fission process is maintained without any external source of neutrons.

Traditionally, uranium has been extracted from open-pits and underground mines. In the past decade, alternative techniques such in-situ leach mining, in which solutions are injected into underground deposits to dissolve uranium, have become more widely used. Most mines in the U. The milling refining process extracts uranium oxide U 3 O 8 from ore to form yellowcake, a yellow or brown powder that contains about 90 percent uranium oxide.

In-situ leach mining leaves the unusable portion in the ground, it does not generate this form of waste. The total volume of mill tailings generated in the U. Moreover, the half-lives of the principal radioactive components of mill tailings, thorium and radium are long, being about 75, years and 1, years respectively.

Surface uranium concentrations, therefore, often exhibit greater variability than potassium or thorium. The radioactive decay series of U is complex and produces alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. In addition to the alpha or beta particles emitted as a result of the decay of a parent isotope, most of the daughter isotopes also emit gamma rays.

What form is it in? What does it look like? When it has been refined and enriched, uranium is a silvery-white metal. How can it hurt me?

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