how do energy companies safely obtain radioactive material for nuclear power plants?

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The new HBO Chernobyl series has me pondering about this. For instance, after the unfortunate indicident of the reactor core exploding, radioactive graphite was seen exposed. Consequently, radioactive particles were emitted at an extremely dangerous level.

So, how to energy companies initially obtain the radioactive material? Where do they transport the material from? How do they safely transport the material?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Certain elements are radioactive these are found in an impure state in rocks, these rocks are mined for the element. However only certain types of the elements called isotopes are radioactive these may represent only a few percent of the element so in order to get a radioactive source you need the percentage of that isotope to be as high as possible. Transporting the element before this purification has happened is very safe, it is only after the purification has occurred that the element is really dangerous.

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