Although radioactivity is a natural process with which we have lived since the beginning of time, it has only been within the past 100 years that we have discovered it and given it a name. Man's use of radioactive material, for example in power generation and nuclear weapons, has added to the natural levels of radiation in our environment. When living cells are exposed to radiation, they absorb some of its energy and can be damaged. There are internationally agreed procedures for assessing the effects of radiation on human health and for limiting radiation exposures. The uses of radioactive material Radioactive materials are used in industry for a variety of purposes, including the measurement of the thickness and integrity of structures and materials, in agriculture for preserving food, and in medicine to diagnose disease and injury and, in larger doses, to treat diseases like cancer.
Radioactive material is used in defence, in nuclear weapons and submarine propulsion.
Radioactive material is also used to generate electricity through the splitting, or fission, of uranium atoms. In addition, research and reprocessing work is carried out at Dounreay and nuclear submarine operations are based at Faslane. In the UK, most low level waste is disposed of by burying it at Drigg, a site near Sellafield in Cumbria. Some similar disposals are made at Dounreay. It is Government Policy that higher level wastes should be disposed of deeper underground once a suitable repository is developed.