Radioactive contamination and its effects on humans

Radioactive contamination can be defined as high energy particles or radioactive substance emissions into the air, water or soil due to human activities in the form of radioactive waste. Radioactive waste is usually a product of a nuclear process such as nuclear fission, which is used extensively in nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons and other nuclear fuel cycles.
Radioactivity of nuclear waste which will fade over time. This means the waste must be isolated from the reach of living creatures, until it is no longer pose a threat to living creatures. This period may take from the days, months and years, depending on the composition of the radioactive waste.
Radioactive contamination, which is spread through the Earth's atmosphere is called the "Fallout". The nuclear air pollution will be prominent in the World War 2 period since the United States, United Kingdom and the Soviet Union started carrying out nuclear tests in the atmosphere. The best example of fallout is atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 by the United States of America during world war 2.
As a result of the atomic bomb attack, had almost 2, 25, 000 people died as a result of long-term exposure of radiation from the bomb blast within 5 years after the attack due to the effect of radiation and cancer.
In soil and water remains the largest source of radioactive contamination of the nuclear fuel cycle. The nuclear fuel cycle is used in nuclear power stations, extraction and refinement of materials from the nuclear substance is to be used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons, where the pollutants are left behind after the useful material (Nuclear isotope) is extracted.

The effects of radioactive contamination or exposure to nuclear radiation was first reported in the early 20th century when people working in uranium mines suffered from skin burn and cancer. The effects vary from organism to organism and the level of radioactivity nuclear isotopes. Radiation destroys cells in the human body and causes cancer.
Radioactive particles to form ions when it reacts with biological molecules. These ions creates free radicals, which slowly and steadily start destroy proteins, membranes and nucleic acids. A longer exposure to radioactive radiation DNA can damage cells, leading to cancer, genetic defects in generations to come, and even death.