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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-08-12, Page 1616 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, August 12, 2015 it) The NWMO and Huron -Kinloss Learning Together AUGUST 2015 Learning About Radiation What Is Radiation? Radiation is energy moving through space in waves or streams of particles. It can take the form of electromagnetic waves such as microwaves used to cook food, X-rays for diagnostic medical purposes, and gamma rays such as those used in radiation therapies for the treatment of cancer. Or it can be in the form of high-energy particles (alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons). Used nuclear fuel emits a high level of radiation when it is removed from the reactor and must be safely contained and isolated from people and the environment for many hundreds of thousands of years— essentially indefinitely. Types of Radiation Ionizing radiation has enough energy to create ions (electrically charged particles) in matter, and it has the potential to affect chemical bonds between molecules. Excessive exposure to ionizing radiation can damage living tissue at the molecular level, and if the exposure is beyond the body's natural repair processes, it may lead to uncontrolled growth of cells (i.e., cancer) or other serious health effects. Used nuclear fuel emits ionizing radiation. Non -ionizing radiation does not have enough energy to create ions and includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves and visible light. Radioactivity Declines Over Time Radioactive materials decay over time due to the emission of radiation from their atomic nuclei. The rate at which this occurs is determined by the radioactive "half-life", where half-life is the time taken for half of a radioactive material to decay. For example, if we have 16 radioactive atoms, after one half-life there will be eight atoms left and after another half-life there will be four atoms left. Half-lives can vary from fractions of a second to billions of years, depending on the radioactive material. The radiation in nuclear fuel declines significantly over the first thousand years and then takes about one million years before it returns to approximately the same level of radioactivity as an equivalent amount of natural uranium. Radiation: It's Everywhere We are exposed to low levels of radiation every day from many sources including: • Cosmic rays; • Natural radioactivity in soil, rocks and food; • Medical procedures; and • Air travel. A sievert is used to measure the amount of a radiation dose to humans. Radiation doses are commonly measured in millisieverts (mSv). On average, Canadians are exposed to about 1.8 mSv of radiation annually from background sources. Interim container for used fuel dry storage Sources of average annual radiation exposure in Canada Fuel Bundle Four Fuel Modules (Each Holds 96 Fuel Bundles) Dry Storage Container Weight: 70,200 kg Dimension: 242 cm long x 212 cm wide x 356 cm high Terrestrial 13.5% Internal 13.5% Other 0.8% Medical 22.9% Radon 37.9% Safely Containing Radiation Radiation can be contained through physical barriers. Paper will stop alpha particles while aluminum can stop beta particles. Gamma rays are much more penetrating and require dense barriers such as steel or concrete to prevent escape to the environment. The Deep Geological Repository is designed to provide robust containment through a multi -barrier system with engineered barriers in a stable rock formation. An excellent resource for additional information about radiation is the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission site at nuclearsafety.gc. ca/eng/resources/radiation/index. Existing interim storage methods of used nuclear fuel use water and concrete as effective barriers to safely contain and isolate these forms of radiation from the public and environment. Used Fuel Dry Storage Containers provide safe and effective barriers for radiation through the use of reinforced concrete walls (20 inches) that are lined inside and out with half-inch steel plate. The Bruce County Federation of Agriculture (BCFA) hosted a first time dinner/education event on July 3 that was designed to bring rural and urban residents together to create greater awareness of how food is produced. About 300 attended the dinner held in a farm field near Kincardine. "Folks sometimes get irritated when they get caught behind a large, slow-moving agricultural vehicle on the road, but the reality is these vehicles need to get from A to B to facilitate the production of food," said Les Nichols, a Director with the BCFA and member of the organizing committee for the event. "We really want to emphasize the need for road safety as it pertains to these types of situations." The NWMO provided support for the Real Food, Farms and Experience event. )) Of Note... )) The Township of Huron -Kinloss has invited the NWMO to host an open house about Canada's plan for the long-term manage- ment of used nuclear fuel. Drop in and share your thoughts on the project, the studies completed to date, and the planning for Phase 2 Preliminary Assessment activities. Light refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you at the Point Clark and Huron District Community Centre on August 14, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on August 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information about Canada's plan for used nuclear fuel, please call 519-395-3735 or email info©huronkinloss.com. nwmo NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION SOCIETE DE GESTION DES DECHETS NUCLEAIRES For more information about the NWMO and Canada's plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel, please visit: www.nwmo.ca )S