What is plutonium, and how can it affect the land

One of the most dangerous and complicated materials on the planet is that of plutonium. With the chemical symbol Pu, it’s the most naturally occurring radioactive substance there is. It is both perfect for destructive purposes. It is the fissionable material in nuclear weapons and creative power generators, on the other, being used in nuclear reactors. Plutonium was discovered as a by-product of the work of the Manhattan Project and the development of atomic weapons. It’s also a waste product of nuclear power, either being stored underground to slowly decay over hundreds of years in tight barrels or used in nuclear weapons.

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If the stuff gets out into the environment, then this can be very bad news for the ground. Plutonium is a huge poisoner of land, and the services of a Contaminated Land Remediation company, like soilfix.co.uk, would undoubtedly be needed. For example, it’s believed that a site in Russia, and its counterpart in the United States of America, that produced fuel for nuclear missiles put out more plutonium into the atmosphere than the most celebrated case of Chernobyl.

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Elements of plutonium can have profound effects on the soil. It is impossible to grow anything in the soil, and what does grow could have higher levels of plutonium that could then pass into the human body via digestion. This can lead to cancer and other serious health conditions.

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