Neutrons readily pass through most material, but interact enough to cause biological damage. The most effective shielding materials are hydrocarbons, e.g. polyethylene, paraffin wax or water. Concrete (where a considerable amount of water molecules are chemically bound to the cement) and gravel are used as cheap and effective biological shields due to their combined shielding of both gamma rays and neutrons.

the ability of neutron radiation to induce radioactivity in most substances it encounters, including the body tissues of the workers themselves.

Plants such as Japan's Fukushima-Daiichi facility, Russia's Chernobyl and the United States' Three Mile Island remain a black eye for the nuclear power industry, often overshadowing some of the environmental advantages the technology has to offer. You can read more about exactly what happened in How Japan's Nuclear Crisis Works.

A nuclear reactor produces and controls the release of energy from splitting the atoms of certain elements. In a nuclear power reactor, the energy released is used as heat to make steam to generate electricity. (

nuclear reactor produces and controls the release of energy from splitting the atoms of certain elements. In a nuclear power reactor, the e