radioactivity into

The consequence could be a Chernobyl-type accident, whereby the damaged plant would spew radioactivity into the atmosphere and contaminate thousands of square miles, including the nearby Los Angeles basin.

It is important to note that a vast number of processes are able to release radioactivity into the environment, for example the action of cosmic rays on the air is responsible for the formation of radioisotopes ( such as < sup > 14 </ sup > C and < sup > 32 </ sup > P ), the decay of < sup > 226 </ sup > Ra forms < sup > 222 </ sup > Rn which is a gas which can diffuse through rocks before entering buildings and dissolve in water and thus enter drinking water in addition human activities such as bomb tests, accidents, and normal releases from industry have resulted in the release of radioactivity.

Radiometric assays measure the incorporation of radioactivity into substrates or its release from substrates.