I don’t understand how nuclear radiation affects a geographical area to the point where it’s dangerous for a human to be there for extended periods of time.
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In terms of the geographical area, it is worth making a distinction between _radiation_ and _radioactivity_.
When something is radioactive, it gives off radiation. Radiation is light light; something radioactive is like a light bulb.
The problem with radioactive contamination is when you get lots of radioactive particles on the ground (or in the air, water, ecosystem, etc.). It’s like littering self-powered lightbulbs all over the ground, and the light, in sufficient quantities, is bad for the body (it damages cells and DNA).
So when a geographical area has been affected, that means there are lots of radioactive materials there, and so the amount of radiation there is increased.
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