Water Trails & Water Pollution

Causes Of Water Pollution - Radioactive Waste

Nuclear waste is produced from industrial, medical and scientific processes that use radioactive material. Nuclear waste can have detrimental effects on marine habitats. Nuclear waste comes from a number of sources:

• Operations conducted by nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste. Radioactive traces from these plants have been found as far away as Greenland.

• Mining and refining of uranium and thorium are also causes of marine nuclear waste.

• Waste is also produced in the nuclear fuel cycle which is used in many industrial, medical and scientific processes.