- 2071 Shrawan · 3 marks
- Year not given
Nuclear hazards and effects
Short answer
Somatic effects affect the exposed person, causing acute radiation syndrome, cancer, and cataracts. Genetic effects damage reproductive cells, leading to inherited mutations and birth defects. Potential hazards include reactor accidents, radioactive waste, radiation exposure, nuclear weapons, and mining hazards.
Explain somatic and genetic effects due to nuclear hazards in human beings. What are the potential nuclear hazards?
Potential nuclear hazards
- Reactor accidents and radiation release: Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011).
- Radioactive waste: spent fuel remains dangerous for thousands of years and needs safe storage.
- Radiation exposure in mining, fuel handling and medical or industrial uses.
- Nuclear weapons and proliferation, and terrorism (dirty bombs).
- Thermal pollution and release of radioactive effluents in normal operation.
- Mining and milling hazards (uranium tailings, radon).
- Decommissioning problems.
Effects of radiation on humans
Ionising radiation (alpha, beta, gamma, neutrons) damages cells and DNA.
Somatic effects (on the exposed person's body; not inherited)
- Acute radiation syndrome at high doses: nausea, vomiting, hair loss, burns, bone-marrow failure, death.
- Delayed effects: cancers (leukaemia, thyroid, lung), cataracts, reduced fertility, premature ageing.
- Severity depends on dose and duration of exposure.
Genetic effects (on reproductive cells; inherited by the next generation)
- Radiation damages DNA of sperm or egg cells, causing mutations and chromosomal changes.
- Results: birth defects, genetic diseases and miscarriage in descendants.
- They are assumed to have no safe threshold and may appear in children and grandchildren.
| Point | Somatic | Genetic |
|---|---|---|
| Cells affected | Body cells | Reproductive cells |
| Who suffers | The exposed person | Future generations |
| Example | Cancer, burns | Birth defects, mutations |
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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