Film info
Film summary
Discover how radioactive substances change over time, and how this affects whether they are hazardous to humans.
Key facts
- Dangerous radioactive substances will not be dangerous forever due to radioactive decay.
- Radioactive decay is the process in which the nucleus of an unstable atom changes by emitting radiation.
- Different materials have different half-lives that can vary from fractions of a second to millions of years.
- Radioactive waste must be stored safely until it is no longer a health hazard.
Transcript
Dangerous radioactive substances will not be dangerous forever.
Over time, radioactivity can make substances more stable, and far less hazardous to humans.
In order for an unstable isotope to become stable, its nucleus must change and it does this by emitting radiation.
This is called radioactive decay, and the process leaves behind a ...
Please log in to view and download the complete transcript.