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What if I took a swim in a typical spent nuclear fuel pool?
- mashtaters 9y agoIANANuclearScientist, but wouldn't the water be constantly circulated inside the pool, bringing the radioactivity of the water to the same level throughout the pool?
- eesmith 9y agoIANANuclearScientist either. There are different types of radiation. I believe the water pools are used to protect against high energy neutrons. Water is not a good shield against gamma radiation. The water doesn't become radioactive. The neutron hits the hydrogen in the water kinetically, meaning it bounces off. The neutron and hydrogen have about the same mass, so about 1/2 of the energy goes into the hydrogen. (I think. It was a problem in my high school physics class, from the Halliday and Resnick textbook. That was many years ago.) After a few collisions, the neutrons slow down enough so the energy levels are no longer a problem. Think of it as a bullet. A fast bullet can go through your body. A slow one doesn't even go through your skin.