Chemical Hazard - Uranium & Nuclear Power
Radioactive materials are composed of atoms that are unstable. An unstable atom gives off its excess energy until it becomes stable. The energy emitted is radiation. Each of us is exposed to radiation daily from natural sources, including the Sun and the Earth. Small traces of radiation are present in food and water. Radiation also is released from man-made sources such as X-ray machines, television sets and microwave ovens. Radiation has a cumulative effect. The longer a person is exposed to radiation, the greater the effect. A high exposure to radiation can cause serious illness or death.
The potential danger from an accident at a nuclear power plant is exposure to radiation. This exposure could come from the release of radioactive material from the plant into the environment, usually characterised by a plume (cloud-like formation) of radioactive gases and particles. The major hazards to people in the vicinity of the plume are radiation exposure to the body from the cloud and particles deposited on the ground, inhalation of radioactive materials and ingestion of radioactive materials.
Task A: You will be assessed on your ability to conduct a geographical inquiry into one of the following major nuclear reactor disasters listed below and write areport as a culmination of your research. Please provide evidence of your research (notes, graphs, tables, diagrams, pictures) for marking when you hand in your formal report.
Task B: Answer two of the report topic questions as an in-class validation assessment. The questions will chosen by the Teacher and must be answered without the use of notes.
Research/Inquiry
- Focus Questions & Time Plan
- Notes - Detailed, Own Words, Comprehensive, Structured
- Collect information from a range of primary and secondary sources
- Diagrams, Data, Statistics - Relevant, Linked to either Chernobyl or Fukushima
- Reference List -Online Referencing Generator (Library Page Seqta)
Report:
1. Explain the nature and cause of either the Chernobyl or Fukushima nuclear disaster.
2. Explain the spatial and temporal distribution of the Chernobyl or Fukushima nuclear disaster.
3. Discuss the magnitude, duration and scale of either the Chernobyl or Fukushima nuclear disaster.
4. Discuss the environmental, economic and social impacts of either the Chernobyl or Fukushima nuclear disaster.
5. Stakeholders
- Discuss the impact either the Chernobyl or Fukushima nuclear disaster had on two stakeholder groups
- What are the stakeholders values and viewpoints as to whether or not the measures that have been put in place to potentially reduce human vulnerability in the future will be effective (will work)
- What are the stakeholders values and viewpoints of the costs (economic & social) of such mitigation and adaptation strategies?
6. Explain one short and one long term risk management policy, procedure or practice that has been designed to reduce the impact of either the Chernobyl or Fukushima nuclear hazard.
Ensure your report makes reference to maps, diagrams, data and statistics from your research.
Attachment:- Assignment File.rar