The short answer to your question is “no,” radioactive things do not glow in the dark – not by themselves anyway. Radiation emitted by radioactive materials is not visible to the human eye. Many substances will emit visible light if “stimulated” by the ionizing radiation from radioactive material.

The ingredients in glow sticks are generally non-toxic, and most cases will not require medical attention. However, if glow stick fluid is swallowed, it may cause an upset stomach and some mouth irritation.

The glow stick contains two chemicals, a base catalyst, and a suitable dye (sensitizer, or fluorophor). This creates an exergonic reaction. The chemicals inside the plastic tube are a mixture of the dye, the base catalyst, and diphenyl oxalate. The chemical in the glass vial is hydrogen peroxide.

It’s Cherenkov Radiation. Caused by particles traveling faster than light through a medium, Cherenkov Radiation is what gives nuclear reactors their eerie blue glow. In the miniseries “Chernobyl” when the reactor first explodes, there’s an eerie blue light emanating from it.

Radioactivity is invisible to us — it’s not green, or any other colour, it’s totally invisible. This makes working with radioactive materials potentially dangerous, and this is why very specific occupational health and safety regulations have been set up for workers in the industry.

Nuclear plants also produce low-level radioactive waste which is safely managed and routinely disposed of at various sites around the country. It is a solid. The radioactive byproducts of nuclear reactions remain inside the fuel. No green goo anywhere.

Just beyond the red end of the spectrum are the longer wave infrared radiation rays (which can be felt as heat), microwaves, and radio waves. Radiation of a single frequency is called monochromatic….The visible spectrum.

in the real world, radioactive material does not glow any color. However, some radioactive material will give off something called Cherenkov radiation when it is immersed in water. Cherenkov radiation gives off a light blue color.

Uranium glass also fluoresces bright green under ultraviolet light and can register above background radiation on a sufficiently sensitive Geiger counter, although most pieces of uranium glass are considered to be harmless and only negligibly radioactive.

There are two main reasons why glow in the dark stuff mostly glows in green. Manufacturers choose phosphors that emit green to get the brightest apparent glow. The other reason green is a common color is because the most common affordable and non-toxic phosphor glows green. The green phosphor also glows the longest.

Radioactive Waste – Myths and Realities

• The nuclear industry still has no solution to the ‘waste problem’.
• The transport of this waste poses an unacceptable risk to people and the environment.
• Plutonium is the most dangerous material in the world.
• Nuclear waste is hazardous for tens of thousands of years.

Sellafield is now completely controlled by the government-run Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Regardless of who runs it, Sellafield could remain one of Europe’s most toxic sites for millennia.

This most potent form of nuclear waste, according to some, needs to be safely stored for up to a million years. Yes, 1 million years – in other words, a far longer stretch of time than the period since Neanderthals cropped up. This is an estimate of the length of time needed to ensure radioactive decay.

Activities at the Sellafield site are primarily decommissioning of historic plants, and reprocessing of spent fuel from UK and international nuclear reactors, which will completely cease when the Magnox fuel reprocessing plant closes in 2021. The site is due to be fully decommissioned by 2120 at a cost of £121bn.

‘This study found that children, teenagers and young adults living close to Sellafield and Dounreay are no longer at an increased risk of developing cancer. ‘Furthermore, there is no evidence of any increased risk of cancer later in life for those who were born near these power plants.