Classroom Questions

Questions for ‘Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation’

A fox stands behind a clump of long grass and wideflowers, on an asphalt path

This fox was spotted in 2017 in the deserted town of Pripyat. It’s near the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The area is still closed to most people due to the radiation there.

Sean Gallup/Staff/Getty Images News

By Science News Explores

To accompany ‘Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation’

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

  1. What does it mean to be radioactive? Explain to the best of your understanding. Then, give one example of a substance that you associate with radioactivity.
  2. What is one risk you associate with exposure to radiation? What is one way that radioactivity can benefit people?

During Reading:

  1. What is the connection between radioactive decay and ionizing radiation?
  2. In a sentence, compare the effects of radiation exposure on our bodies in the short term versus the long term.
  3. How might a routine dental visit expose you to low levels of radiation? Why does a dental “blanket” contain lead?
  4. Where did the Chernobyl disaster occur?
  5. What year did the Fukushima disaster occur?
  6. What is an exclusion zone? How big is the Chernobyl exclusion zone in square kilometers?
  7. Explain the history of the Hanford site that makes it a health risk today.
  8. What is the goal of the Peace Depot?
  9. Give two examples of how barn swallows have been affected by radiation exposure.
  10. A 2020 study on wildlife populations near radioactive sites found that some species became more abundant after a disaster rather than less. How did scientists explain this finding?

After Reading:

  1. Explain why cesium-137 tends to accumulate in muscle tissue. Where does strontium-90 tend to accumulate and why? Potassium iodide (KI) is a medicine used to treat certain cases of radiation poisoning. Do a quick internet search and figure out how this medicine works. What kind of radiation poisoning might this medicine be able to treat? Based on what you learn, speculate on where radioactive iodine tends to accumulate. Explain how you arrived at your answer by referring to what you have learned about KI.
  2. Do you think KI would be an effective treatment for cesium-137 poisoning? Why or why not?
  3. Give two examples from this story of how radioactive material might leak outside the boundaries of an exclusion zone. Pick one of these examples. Then propose one ecologically friendly action to reduce the risk of this kind of leakage. Explain your answer.