ENGL 2030-023 Strauch, Emma: 2014

Monday, April 7, 2014

A Few Last Notes

My blog started with an interest in abandoned places. Then, it ventured off into radiation after talking about Chernobyl. It then took some turns in other directions such as radon and nuclear bombs. Then went back on track and continued on about radiation, going more in depth such as it's health impacts. I ended with a topic that I can truly say I never thought I would have ended up with: Nuclear Power. I look forward to exploring this topic more in-depth.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Nuclear Energy Debate: Right or Wrong?

http://tb4cz3en3e.search.serialssolutions.com/?sid=sersol&SS_jc=TC0000919651&title=Nuclear%20energy

Wrong:

Renewable Energy is safer and more efficient than Nuclear Energy
There have been accidents involving Nuclear Energy (such as the previously mentioned Chernobyl)
It is expensive
There is no real solution for radioactive waste
Increasing nuclear use will result in enemies using it against us (war and terrorism)

Right:

Nuclear Energy is healthier than burning Fossil Fuels
There is enough Nuclear Power to last for a very long time (as compared to oil and gas)
Radioactive waste is contained and there is not a large amount of it
The chance of another accident with a Nuclear Power Plant is extremely small

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Feedback

Great job finding a diverse body of research. The next step will be to craft an analysis or express and epiphany related to what you found. As of now you have certainly given yourself options, weapons primarily, which could then relate recently to india/pakistan, iran, n korea. Enery and nuclear technology could be another approach. You could also focus locally to rocky flats, or other nuclear development sites in the west.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Radon

In a previous post about the Deer Creek Missile Silo I wanted to know what radon was. So here is the answer:

The chemical element of atomic number 86.
A rare radioactive gas belonging to the noble gas series.

Here is more info on it:

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. It forms naturally from the decay of radioactive elements, such as uranium, which are found at different levels in soil and rock throughout the world. Radon gas in the soil and rock can move into the air and into ground water and surface water. For both adults and children, most exposure to radon comes from being indoors in homes, commercial buildings, schools, and other places. The levels of radon in homes and other buildings depend on the characteristics of the rock and soil in the area. As a result, radon levels vary greatly in different parts of the United States, even within neighborhoods. Elevated radon levels have been found in every state.
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/pollution/radon

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Atomic Bombs

http://0-digital.films.com.skyline.ucdenver.edu/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=55571
Above is the link to a short video with real footage of Hiroshima the day after it was bombed.

An atomic bomb is a bomb that derives its destructive power from the rapid release of nuclear energy by fission of heavy atomic nuclei, causing damage through heat, blast, and radioactivity.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Back to Chernobyl

http://0-link.springer.com.skyline.ucdenver.edu/book/10.1007%2F3-540-28079-0
Above is a useful source with different information on Chernobyl.
I will mainly use the Health Effects Chapter.

If the maximum radiation is exposed to a human, they will die within days/weeks. If they don't die, they can get deterministic effects.

Some examples of deterministic effects are:

Cataract
Erythema
Infertility

http://www.hko.gov.hk/education/dbcp/rad_health/eng/r4_1.htm

There are also stochastic effects that take sometimes decades to affect a human

Some examples are:

Cancer
Genetic effect

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

In Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II there were massive atomic bombs dropped on populated areas. This caused a lot of radiation and the side effects of those who were lucky enough to survive it were down-right terrifying. Some of these side effects were:

Thermal injury
Blood disorders
Cancer
Beta burns
Bone marrow death
Many more

http://0-www.jstor.org.skyline.ucdenver.edu/stable/3570257

http://0-www.bmj.com.skyline.ucdenver.edu/content/340/bmj.b5349

http://tb4cz3en3e.search.serialssolutions.com/?paramdict=en-US&genre=article&spage=241&SS_issnh=0077-8923&SS_eissnh=1749-6632&SS_sid=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&pmid=14128242&issn=00778923&SS_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fauraria.summon.serialssolutions.com%2Fsearch%2F%3Fs.cmd%3DaddFacetValueFilters%28ContentType%2CNewspaper%2BArticle%3At%2CBook%2BReview%3At%29%26s.q%3DHiroshima%2BNagasaki%2BRadiation&date=1964-03-31&externaldocid=14128242&aulast=HAMILTON&atitle=THE+HIROSHIMA+AND+NAGASAKI+DATA+AND+RADIATION+CARCINOGENSIS&medlineId=14128242&title=Annals+of+the+New+York+Academy+of+Sciences&eissn=17496632&nlmId=7506858&localeid=1033&aufirst=L&jtitle=Annals+of+the+New+York+Academy+of+Sciences&paramdict=en-US&SS_LibHash=TB4CZ3EN3E&sid=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&SS_authors=HAMILTON%2C+L+D&pages=241-8&SS_source=56&l=TB4CZ3EN3E&SS_ReferentFormat=JournalFormat&SS_meta_enhanced=true&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&au=HAMILTON%2C+L+D&auinitm=D&titleAbbr=Ann+N+Y+Acad+Sci&volume=114&SS_RequestType=1&epage=8&&SS_PostParamDict=disableOneClick

Saturday, March 22, 2014

More on Radiation

So how is radiation in general defined?

"anything emitted from a localized source" http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/304/rad_eff.pdf

This is a very broad explanation. I want to know what kind of radiation is emitted from a nuclear explosion. I also want to know how it affects living organisms, especially humans. I found this chart pretty interesting about the amount of radiation a person is exposed to in every-day life:

http://kansasmeadowlark.com/blog/2011/03/21/background-radiation-is-normal-in-overland-park/

Friday, March 21, 2014

A Closer Look

After some research, I discovered that there are 3 types of radiation:
Alpha Radiation
Beta Radiation
Gamma and X Radiation

Here is what http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/radiationtypes.html says about each one:

Alpha radiation is a heavy, very short-range particle and is actually an ejected helium nucleus. Some characteristics of alpha radiation are:

Most alpha radiation is not able to penetrate human skin.
Alpha-emitting materials can be harmful to humans if the materials are inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through open wounds.
A variety of instruments has been designed to measure alpha radiation. Special training in the use of these instruments is essential for making accurate measurements.
A thin-window Geiger-Mueller (GM) probe can detect the presence of alpha radiation.
Instruments cannot detect alpha radiation through even a thin layer of water, dust, paper, or other material, because alpha radiation is not penetrating.
Alpha radiation travels only a short distance (a few inches) in air, but is not an external hazard.
Alpha radiation is not able to penetrate clothing.

Beta radiation is a light, short-range particle and is actually an ejected electron. Some characteristics of beta radiation are:

Beta radiation may travel several feet in air and is moderately penetrating.
Beta radiation can penetrate human skin to the "germinal layer," where new skin cells are produced. If high levels of beta-emitting contaminants are allowed to remain on the skin for a prolonged period of time, they may cause skin injury.
Beta-emitting contaminants may be harmful if deposited internally.
Most beta emitters can be detected with a survey instrument and a thin-window GM probe (e.g., "pancake" type). Some beta emitters, however, produce very low-energy, poorly penetrating radiation that may be difficult or impossible to detect. Examples of these difficult-to-detect beta emitters are hydrogen-3 (tritium), carbon-14, and sulfur-35.
Clothing provides some protection against beta radiation.

Gamma radiation and x rays are highly penetrating electromagnetic radiation. Some characteristics of these radiations are:

Gamma radiation or x rays are able to travel many feet in air and many inches in human tissue. They readily penetrate most materials and are sometimes called "penetrating" radiation.
X rays are like gamma rays. X rays, too, are penetrating radiation. Sealed radioactive sources and machines that emit gamma radiation and x rays respectively constitute mainly an external hazard to humans.
Gamma radiation and x rays are electromagnetic radiation like visible light, radiowaves, and ultraviolet light. These electromagnetic radiations differ only in the amount of energy they have. Gamma rays and x rays are the most energetic of these.
Dense materials are needed for shielding from gamma radiation. Clothing provides little shielding from penetrating radiation, but will prevent contamination of the skin by gamma-emitting radioactive materials.
Gamma radiation is easily detected by survey meters with a sodium iodide detector probe.
Gamma radiation and/or characteristic x rays frequently accompany the emission of alpha and beta radiation during radioactive decay.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Sources on Radiation

I decided that maybe I could research about radiation. It really interested me when I learned about Chernobyl. Here are some sources I found that might be useful:
http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/304/rad_eff.pdf
http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/radiationtypes.html
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00247-006-0191-5
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1881453/

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Question

Where can I find academic sources besides the auraria library website?

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Deer Creek Missile Silo

I found out the other day that there is a missile silo in Deer Creek, Colorado. For those of you who don't know, a missile silo is a building that stores and sometimes launches missiles. The missile has never been launched, but I want to know if there are still harmful chemicals in it. I also want to know specifically if there is any radiation in it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missile_launch_facility

Here are some photos inside of the silo:

Here is a map of the silo:

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Chernobyl

First of all, I forgot to cite my link from my last post so here it is,
http://distractify.com/culture/arts/the-most-spectacular-abandoned-places-in-the-world/

Second, I was talking to my boyfriend the other day about Chernobyl. The Chernobyl disaster was a huge nuclear accident at a power plant in the Ukraine. It is now abandoned due to the harmful radiation it left behind. The radiation caused a lot of health problems in many people. I want to explore more on the effects of radiation. This is the website I used to get info on Chernobyl:
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident/

Here are some cool pictures of the now-isolated Chernobyl:

Thursday, March 13, 2014

The First Step

I'm not sure what I want to research yet, but I have a strong interest in abandoned places. It isn't a very academic topic, but I am hoping that I can find something to research that has to do with them in some sort of way. Go here to see the website that first got me interested in abandoned places. It shows a bunch of pictures of various places around the world that are abandoned and some of them have pretty creepy stories behind them too!